Meet The Tom Brady Of Beach Volleyball: At 45, Phil Dalhausser Can Make The Young Guys Pound Sand

There is no weirdly-concocted super smoothie to tout. No crazy Tom Brady workout regimen. 

"Nah, I’m not doing anything special," Phil Dalhausser said with a laugh.

And yet, Dalhausser still has plenty in common with the NFL’s GOAT when it comes to longevity and vitality. 

In fact, Dalhausser might as well be considered the "Tom Brady of the AVP," the Association of Volleyball Professionals, which is the professional beach volleyball league in the United States.

AVP legend Phil Dalhausser, the "Tom Brady of professional beach volleyball." Photo: Patricia Babcock McGraw

Like Brady, whose stunning success as an NFL quarterback well into his 40s was tied to his over-the-top fitness and quirky nutritional habits, Dalhausser is a 45-year-old hammer who is still taking down guys half his age after more than two decades as a professional. 

And like Brady, he can’t quite let it go.

"I’m playing good ball, and all the love from the fans all season, like (the fans saying) ‘Don’t go, don’t go, play one more (season)," Dalhausser said. "It just all chipped away and chipped away. And it became a no-brainer."

Un-retiring did, that is.

IN, THEN OUT, THEN IN AGAIN

Dalhausser announced earlier this year, after decades in the sport, that he would be retiring at the end of the 2025 season. Until…he announced just recently that, just kidding, he wasn’t retiring. 

"It’s hard to say one thing that I love (about beach volleyball)," Dalhausser said. "It’s just what I know. This is my 23rd season and that’s all I know. It’s weird."

Maybe not as weird as it is familiar, right?

DRIVEN BY LOVE AND WINNING

Like Brady, Dalhausser loves what he does deep, deep into his core, is driven by the competition and is still winning at the highest level, like he did Sunday in Chicago.

Tough to step away from that.

CHICAGO - AVP League Champions Phil Dalhausser and Trevor Crabb after winning the title at Oak Street Beach on Aug. 31, 2025. Photo: Patricia Babcock McGraw

Dalhausser, teamed with partner Trevor Crabb, defeated Hagen Smith and Logan Webber to win the AVP League Championship at a packed make-shift stadium perched on Oak Street Beach along Lake Shore Drive. The John Hancock Building and the rest of the shimmering Chicago skyline served as a majestic backdrop on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Attention OutKick management: We might have to add a beat to our coverage. And I’m volunteering for service!

This league is so fun. Games are fast-paced, and exhilarating to watch. The setting is sun, beach, sand and loud music. And the headliners are talented yet humble, friendly athletes like Dalhausser.

WAIT, THERE'S BIKINIS! 

And Double-Attention All Guys: The female players are just as talented, and bonus…they often wear bikinis, which is totally in the OutKick lane. 

What's not to love?

Speaking of love, I have a feeling the AVP would love the added coverage from us. The league is itching to grow more with fans outside its stronghold of southern California. That’s part of the reason the league championship is played in the Midwest each year.

"I wish I had the answer (to make the AVP bigger) because the sport is great," Dalhausser said. "People love the sport. I think it’s the second-most played sport in the world. (It’s actually No. 5 after soccer, basketball, cricket and tennis.) 

"The problem in the U.S. is that there is so much competition. You got the Big Four (football, basketball, baseball, hockey), and then golf and tennis and pickleball. There’s even cornhole on ESPN. But the Midwest has always been good to us."

And while Dalhausser has always been good for the AVP and beach volleyball in general, he recognizes that it has been a two-way street. Beach volleyball has been just as good to him, and eventually, he wants to show his appreciation.

Although his retirement plans are now in the form of a can kicked down the road, he already knows what he’s going to do when he does finally brush the sweaty sand off his knees for good.

"I’ve got a club in Orlando for juniors, a beach volleyball club," Dalhausser said. "We’ve been doing that for a few years. It's Phil Dalhausser Beach Volleyball Academy. The sport has been so good to me, so I’m trying to do my part to grow it in Central Florida where I started."

But for now, Phil is going to Tom Brady it just a little while longer.

WOMEN’S AVP CHAMPIONSHIP

Lexy Denaburg and Julia Donlin won the women’s title in Chicago on Sunday.

The duo represents a rather new beach volleyball partnership. Both players could be contenders for spots on Team USA heading into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Denaburg, a native of Florida, played beach volleyball at UCLA while Donlin stayed in her native North Carolina to play indoor volleyball in Chapel Hill.

So what do you think about beach volleyball? Would you watch it, support it? Do you like watching it during the Olympics? 

Are you a dabbler yourself at your local bar in a sand league, like I am? 

Should I…(I mean, OutKick) spend more time on the beach and in the sun covering beach volleyball? Let me know at: patricia.babcockmcgraw@outkick.com