Bob Cooley, a Bobcat golfer from 1969-71 and the men's program's head coach since 1988, was promoted to Director of Golf in September 2002, assuming administrative and coaching duties for both the women's and men's teams at Ohio. His day-to-day coaching responsibilities remain with the men's squad.

Under Cooley's guidance, the Bobcat men have shown a resurgence in the last half decade. In 1999-2000, Ohio posted six top-5 finishes while placing in the top half of the field in nine of 12 tournaments. That success continued in 2001-02 as Erik Herberth enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history, winning two tournaments during the fall and earning an individual spot in the NCAA Central Regional.

At the 2002 Mid-American Conference Championship, Herberth placed seventh and Jeff Chadwell led the Bobcats with a fourth-place finish as Ohio took runner-up honors, the team's best performance since winning the title in 1980. Herberth was named to the All-MAC first team and Cooley was awarded MAC Coach of the Year.

With three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, Cooley guided the 2003-04 Bobcat men's squad to another second-place finish at the MAC Championship. Ohio entered the final round only one stroke off the lead and had a different freshman post the team's lowest score in each of the tournament's three rounds.

Led by a trio of sophomores, the Bobcats had five top-5 performances in 2004-05. Ryan Siekmann earned All-MAC second-team honors after finishing with a 73.96 average, the fourth-best in program history at the time. Mark Cimarolli topped that with a 73.69 average in 2005-06, earning individual medalist honors at the Big East/MAC Challenge on the way. Cimarolli went on to earn All-MAC Second Team honors in 2006.

Cooley's Bobcat men have excelled in the classroom as well. Under his direction, 10 Ohio men have been named NGCA All-American Scholars. Additionally, in each of the first two NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) reports that have been release, the Bobcats have gained perfect scores, which rank them in the top 10-percent in the nation.

The Bobcat women, meanwhile, have continued to produce strong performances at the MAC Championships. After placing fourth in 2003, Ohio finished third in 2004 and took runner-up honors in 2005, led by Meredith Waterston's third-place finish, the highest-ever placement by a Bobcat female at the MAC Tournament. In 2006, Ana Brown set the school record for 54 holes with a 221 over the first three rounds of the MAC Championship on her way to tying for third.

During Cooley's tenure, Ohio has produced three All-MAC selections (Cari Mozingo in 2003 and 2004, Julie Tomlinson in 2005), three Academic All-MAC honorees (Ashley McCall and Cari Mozingo in 2004, Sara Ann Palmer in 2005) and four All-American Scholars (Ashley McCall and Cari Mozingo in 2003, Sara Ann Palmer 2005 and Kristen Mautz in 2005 and 2006).

Before gaining the head coaching position at Ohio, Cooley assisted former head coach Kermit Blosser, many times traveling with the team. While playing for the Bobcats, he was a member of two MAC championship teams.

Cooley, along with being familiar with Bobcat golf, is also no stranger to the Athens area. He graduated from Athens High School in 1966 and entered Ohio University to pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration.

After graduating in 1971, Cooley served as an assistant golf professional at Village Country Club in Uniontown, Ohio. His next endeavor, in 1973, was playing professionally on the Canadian Tour. He competed in nine tournaments across the country during his time on the tour.

In 1977, Cooley was reinstated to the amateur ranks by the United States Golf Association. He played in the 1978 and 1980 USGA Amateur Championships in Plainfield, N.J., and Pinehurst, N.C., respectively. Today, Cooley plays very little competitive golf, spending most of his time with the golf team and recruiting.

He is married to the former Nannette Borkowski of Westlake, Ohio, and the couple has a 11-year-old daughter, Brynn.