Bob Whalen

Last updated
Bob Whalen
Current position
TitleHead coach
Team Dartmouth
Conference Ivy League
Record642–674–3
Biographical details
Born (1957-10-15) October 15, 1957 (age 66)
Needham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater Maine '79 (B.A.) '86 (M.B.A.)
Playing career
1976–1979 Maine
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1982–1989 Maine (asst.)
1990–present Dartmouth
Head coaching record
Overall642–674–3
TournamentsNCAA: 1–4
Ivy Champ. Series: 9–20
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Ivy Championship Series: 2009, 2010
Rolfe Division: 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Awards
NEIBA Coach of the Year: 2008
Jack Butterfield Award: 2010

Bob Whalen (born October 15, 1957) is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of Dartmouth since the start of the 1990 season. Under him, the Big Green have appeared in two NCAA tournaments. A Maine alumnus, Whalen worked as an assistant coach there from 1982 to 1989. [1]

Contents

Playing career

Whalen played college baseball under head coach John Winkin at Maine from 1976 to 1979, appearing on the school's 1976 College World Series team. His teammates at Maine included Red Sox coach Brian Butterfield, Clemson head coach Jack Leggett, and major leaguer Bert Roberge. [2]

Coaching career

Assistant coaching

After working as a high school coach following graduation, Whalen began his college coaching career prior to the start of the 1982 season as an assistant at Maine. He coached at Maine through the end of the 1989 season and was associate head coach for his final three seasons there. During his tenure, Maine reached four College World Series. [1] [2] [3] [4]

While a Maine assistant, Whalen also worked as an American Legion baseball coach and was the head coach of the Cape Cod Baseball League's Chatham Anglers from 1988 to 1989. [1] [5] [6]

Dartmouth

When Mike Walsh left Dartmouth in late 1989 to become the athletic director at Washington & Lee, the school hired Whalen to replace him. Whalen said when he was hired, "I'm excited about it. I guess I feel here the way I first did when I went to Maine as an assistant. The only thing you can ask for is a chance." [6]

In the 1990s, Dartmouth finished no higher than second in the Rolfe Division. The team had three 20-win seasons (1990, 1997, 1998) but did not reach the postseason. In this stretch, Whalen had two major award winners. Brian Nickerson was named Ivy Rookie of the Year in 1997, and Greg Gilmer won the Blair Bat in 1994 as the league's leading hitter (.476). [7] Whalen also had three players selected in the MLB Draft. Mark Johnson, a 20th-round selection of the Pirates in 1990, later played in Major League Baseball. [8]

The Big Green had more success in the early 2000s, winning Rolfe Division titles in 2000, 2001, and 2004. In 2000, the team went 29–14 (17–3 Ivy), winning the division by six games over second-place Brown. In the Ivy Championship Series, however, it was swept by Gehrig Division champion Princeton. In 2001, the team shared the division title with Brown but defeated the Bears, 7–2, in a one-game playoff to advance to the championship series. The program hosted the series at Red Rolfe Field for the first time. There, it won its opener against Princeton, 6–5, but dropped consecutive games and lost the series. In 2004, Dartmouth went 25–17 (15–5 Ivy) and won the division outright but was again defeated by Princeton in the championship series. Shortstop Ed Lucas, who was drafted in 2004, went on to play for the Miami Marlins. [1] [7] [8] [9]

When Maine head coach Paul Kostacopoulos left for Navy at the end of the 2005 season, Whalen was one of the finalists to replace him, but the school instead hired Manhattan head coach Steve Trimper. [10] [11]

In the late 2000s, Whalen oversaw extensive $5.2 million renovations to Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, Dartmouth's home venue. The renovations added an artificial turf surface, stadium seating, and a new electronic scoreboard, among other features. [12]

After last place finishes in 2005 and 2007, Dartmouth was consistently the best program in the Rolfe Division in the late 2000s and early 2010s. From 2008 to 2014, the Big Green won seven straight Rolfe Division titles. Whalen received the NEIBA Coach of the Year award in 2008 and the Jack Butterfield Award in 2010. The Big Green won the Ivy League Championship Series twice in this stretch, defeating Cornell in 2009 and Columbia in 2010, to advance to the NCAA tournament. As the four seed at the 2009 Chapel Hill Regional, Dartmouth went 0–2, losing games to host North Carolina and third-seeded Kansas. As the four seed at the 2010 Coral Gables Regional, Dartmouth went 1–2; the team dropped its opener to host Miami (FL), then eliminated third-seeded FIU before being eliminated by Texas A&M. [7] [13] [14] [15] [16]

In the first game of an April 21, 2014, doubleheader, Dartmouth defeated Brown, 7–0, to give Whalen his 500th career win. The Big Green's Michael Concato threw a four-hit shutout in the game. [17] [18]

From 2000 to 2014, 18 of Whalen's players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. The highest selections, eighth-rounders Ed Lucas and Kyle Hendricks, went on to appear in Major League Baseball. In the same stretch, the program has had two Ivy Pitchers of the Year, three Players of the Year, and five Rookies of the Year. [7] [8] [9]

Head coaching record

NCAA

Below is a table of Whalen's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach. [7] [19]

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Dartmouth Big Green (Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League)(1990–1992)
1990 Dartmouth 21–1710–84th
1991 Dartmouth 15–219–7T-3rd
1992 Dartmouth 9–256–8T-5th
Dartmouth:25–23
Dartmouth Big Green (Ivy League)(1993–present)
1993 Dartmouth 14–198–124th (Rolfe)
1994 Dartmouth 16–219–112nd (Rolfe)
1995 Dartmouth 19–1712–82nd (Rolfe)
1996 Dartmouth 12–258–123rd (Rolfe)
1997 Dartmouth 22–1611–93rd (Rolfe)
1998 Dartmouth 23–187–13T-3rd (Rolfe)
1999 Dartmouth 17–249–113rd (Rolfe)
2000 Dartmouth 29–1417–31st (Rolfe)Ivy Championship Series
2001 Dartmouth 22–1812–8T-1st (Rolfe)Ivy Championship Series
2002 Dartmouth 21–209–113rd (Rolfe)
2003 Dartmouth 17–1910–102nd (Rolfe)
2004 Dartmouth 25–1715–51st (Rolfe)Ivy Championship Series
2005 Dartmouth 14–218–124th (Rolfe)
2006 Dartmouth 20–1913–72nd (Rolfe)
2007 Dartmouth 8–29–15–154th (Rolfe)
2008 Dartmouth 25–1715–51st (Rolfe)Ivy Championship Series
2009 Dartmouth 27–1816–41st (Rolfe) NCAA Regional
2010 Dartmouth 27–1913–71st (Rolfe) NCAA Regional
2011 Dartmouth 30–1214–61st (Rolfe)Ivy Championship Series
2012 Dartmouth 24–1814–61st (Rolfe) Ivy Championship Series
2013 Dartmouth 32–915–51st (Rolfe) Ivy Championship Series
2014 Dartmouth 18–2111–9T-1st (Rolfe) Ivy Championship Series
2015 Dartmouth 21–2216–41st (Rolfe) Ivy Championship Series
2016 Dartmouth 18–2511–9T-1st (Rolfe)
2017 Dartmouth 22–17–111–92nd (Rolfe)
2018 Dartmouth 17–22–112–8–14th
2019 Dartmouth 15–268–13T-7th
2020 Dartmouth 2–50–0Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021 Dartmouth 0–00–0Ivy League opted-out of the season
2022 Dartmouth 24–1914–73rd
2023 Dartmouth 3–382–198th
2024 Dartmouth 13–267–147th
Dartmouth:642–674–3370–272–1
Total:642–674–3

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Collegiate summer

Below is a table of Whalen's records as a collegiate summer baseball head coach. [5]

SeasonTeamRecordStandingplayoffs
Cape Cod League
1988 Chatham 19–244th (East)
1989Chatham22–20–2T-2nd (East)Play-in game
Total41–42-2

Personal

Whalen's father, Bob "Chick" Whalen, was the scouting director for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Chick died in 1993. [18] [20]

Whalen is renowned for his detailed practice plans and inventive bunt defense plays.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "#2 Bob Whalen". DartmouthSports.com. Dartmouth Varsity Athletics Communications. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Baseball" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Baseball Superstitions Practiced by UMaine 9". Bangor Daily News. April 5, 1985. Retrieved July 19, 2014.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Solloway, Steve (June 26, 2011). "A Trip to Omaha, 25 Years Ago". PressHerald.com. Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Archives". ChathamAnglers.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Mahoney, Larry (December 29, 1989). "Whalen Eyes Challenge at Dartmouth". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "2014 Ivy League Baseball Records Book" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "MLB Amateur Draft Picks Who Came from "Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)"". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Perrotto, John (August 10, 2013). "Finally Catching On". SportsOnEarth.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  10. ↑ Mahoney, Larry (July 1, 2005). "USM's Flaherty Interested in Bears' Job". BangorDailyNews.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Whalen to Leave?". DartReview.com. The Dartmouth Review. July 1, 2005. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  12. ↑ Rodriguez, Jorge (April 2, 2009). "New Facility Brings Needed Improvements to Baseball Field". TheDartmouth.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  13. ↑ Pave, Marvin (June 8, 2008). "Needham's Whalen Named Top Coach". Boston.com. The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Whalen Has Dartmouth on the Rise". BangorDailyNews.com. May 26, 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Jack Butterfield Award". NEIBA.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  16. ↑ Pave, Marvin (July 20, 2014). "Needham's Bean, Whalen Take Ivy". Boston.com. The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Baseball Takes Two at Brown; Whalen Gets 500th Win". DartmouthSports.com. Dartmouth Varsity Athletics Communications. April 21, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  18. 1 2 Pave, Marvin (April 27, 2014). "Needham's Whalen Gets 500th Win". BostonGlobe.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  19. ↑ "2014 Ivy League Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Robert (Chick) Whalen: Major League Baseball Scout". Highbeam.com. The Boston Globe. July 4, 1993. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
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