Title: Head coach, University of Hawaii
Sport: Fastpitch Softball
Career Record: 826-538-1

Bob Coolen is entering his 23rd overall season at the University of Hawai‘i and 21st season as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine program. He is UH’s all-time winningest softball coach in the 28-year history of the program with a 754-446-1 record. Overall he has a 826-538-1 record.

Last season, record after record was shattered as the Rainbow Wahine made their way to the program’s first ever Women’s College World Series. Hawai‘i crushed the previous NCAA single-season home run record of 134 (Arizona 2009) with 158 round trippers, including 30 in post-season play alone. The Wahine set single-season school records in runs (488), RBI (449), doubles (92), walks (185), and hits (578). In 2010, the ‘Bows also won their third Western Athletic Conference title and their first WAC Tournament. Coolen and the ‘Bows finished the season ranked No. 7 nationally, it was their highest finishing rank ever. On April 10 Coolen hit another milestone—his 700th win as head coach of the Rainbow Wahine against Boise State that capped off an undefeated eight-game WAC record-setting roadtrip in which freshman Kelly Majam broke the school and WAC single-season record for homers and Jenna Rodriguez hit the Bows 85th home run of the season breaking the previous team record set in 2007.

Coolen is the only coach in UH softball program history to lead teams to the NCAA tournament. They’ve appeared nine times in the postseason: 1994, `95, `98, `99, 2001, `03, `07, ’08, and ’10. The Rainbow Wahine have won three WAC titles in 2003, ’07, and ’10 and were chosen the 2010 Easton Team of the Year. Their only other conference crown came in 1994 as a member of the Big West. Coolen garnered Coach of the Year honors for all four of those seasons.

The Somerville, Mass., native was born in Somerville, Mass., and graduated from Brockton High School in 1976. During his prep days, Coolen was a three-sport letterman excelling in football, baseball, and swimming. As an athlete, he participated in the 1976 State Tournament and was named his American Legion team’s MVP the same season.

Coolen went on to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., where he again was a three-sport athlete. He played four years each on the football and baseball teams as a receiver and pitcher, respectively. He also was a sprinter on the swimming team for two seasons. He captained the football and baseball teams his senior season of 1979-80 and led his baseball team to the “Little-Three” Conference title in 1980.

Coolen earned his B.A. degree in 1980 in government with an emphasis in public-policy analysis. He went on to do his post-graduate work at Boston University where he earned his M.Ed. in human movement in 1986.

From 1983-90, Coolen wore many hats. At Bentley, his duties were not only the facility and equipment managers and pool supervisor, but he also coached swimming and softball.

To this day, Coolen, in his five short seasons as head coach at Bentley, remains the all-time coaching leader in wins (72). His 1987 squad placed second in the league, the second highest finish ever by a Bentley club, while his club’s 21 wins in 1989 remains a school record.

Coolen is married to the former Nanci Morelock and they have a daughter, Demi (16), and a son, Bo (14).