Dick Cooke - Baseball Coach - Davidson College Athletics

Davidson takes on Yale in non-conference baseball action at Wilson Field on Saturday, March 10, 2018 in Davidson, North Carolina.

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Dick Cooke

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
dicooke@davidson.edu
Phone:
2368

Dick Cooke (Richmond '78) finished his career as head coach of the Davidson baseball program after 28 seasons in May, 2018 after also serving as the Senior Men's Administrator for 12 years. He now serves as an Associate Director of Athletics.

The winningest coach in Davidson baseball history with 601 wins, Cooke guided the Wildcats to new heights in his final seasons in the dugout. He helped navigate the move from the Southern Conference to the Atlantic 10 and in 2017 coached the Wildcats to their first conference championship, NCAA postseason bid and Super Regionals appearance.

A three-year chair of the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, Cooke is the only Davidson skipper to win 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons, which he did on twice (1991-1994, 2014-2017). He earned his 600th career victory on May 9, 2018 at Wilson Field.

Twelve of Cooke’s players were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft during his tenure, with another four signing free agent contracts.

He and his wife Susan have three daughters, Alison, Lindsay and Erin. They reside in Davidson with their black lab, Spike.

Atlantic 10 Success
The Wildcats participated in the Atlantic 10 Tournament all four seasons under Cooke after joining the league in 2015 and recorded five consecutive seasons of at least 28 wins. In the inaugural A-10 season, the squad earned the No. 4 seed after a 28-22 (14-10 A-10) record, where the team fell in the semifinals.

The ‘Cats made history in 2016, when they became the first No. 6 seed to ever compete for the A-10 title. Friday night ace Clark Beeker was selected in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins after earning All-Conference honors and finishing his career ranked third all-time with 21 wins.

Davidson had its most successful season in program history in 2017, including its first conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals. The conference title was the program’s first in its 115-year existence and came with a school-record 35 wins. Led by Cooke, who was named Regional Coach of the Year, the Wildcats became just the second No. 4 seed to ever sweep an NCAA Regional. They did it in Chapel Hill against perennial national power North Carolina, the tournament’s overall No. 2 seed, and had to beat the Tar Heels twice.

Cooke’s tutelage helped lead outfielder Will Robertson become the most decorated player in school history. Robertson earned four All-America honors, was named an NCAA Breakout Player of the Year finalist and was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 30th round of the MLB Draft. Cooke’s pitching expertise also helped senior hurler Durin O’Linger rise to fame. O’Linger threw more than 500 pitches in the postseason in his determination to help his team succeed and became a legend among Davidson faithful. In his final outing in the Super Regionals, O’Linger exited the field at Texas A&M to a standing ovation. He signed a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox and was promoted to High-A just a few weeks into his professional debut.

In his 'swan song' in 2018, Cooke led the Wildcats to a 33-21 ledger, the second-most wins in program history and the most in a regular season. The team won six consecutive series during A-10 play, including taking two of three from top-seeded and eventual tournament champion Saint Louis. Cooke guided the pitching staff to the top league ERA and a Top 20 national ranking for the first half of the season. The club was also nationally ranked in home runs, topping the A-10 and finishing the season with 60. Junior Eric Jones was a finalist for the league's Player of the Year, and was ranked the 19th-best catcher in the NCAA by d1baseball.com.

Davidson earned the fifth seed for the Atlantic 10 Championship, its fifth consecutive tournament berth.

SoCon Era
Cooke’s most successful season in the Southern Conference came during his final year, when the ‘Cats set a then-program record for 29 wins and SoCon wins (17). Six players were named to the All-Southern Conference teams, highlighted by position player Forrest Brandt earning Co-Player of the Year honors. Cooke was named SoCon Coach of the Year for his efforts.

This plaudit came after one of the most challenging times of Cooke’s career, when his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver in September of 2012. Cooke faced a long recovery, but returned to the team for the 2013 season and received CollegeBaseballInsider.com’s Tom Walter Inspiration Award.

Cooke was building a team for success for many seasons, highlighted by feats such as the school’s sixth no-hitter and near upsets of multiple Top 10 ranked opponents. Brandt was also named a Freshman All-American during his rookie campaign.

In 2005, Cooke oversaw one of the country’s most prolific offenses as the Wildcats ranked in the Top 10 nationally in batting average, home runs per game, doubles per game and slugging percentage. Jay Heafner turned in the country’s second-best batting average at .448 as he too gained All-America status and was taken in the MLB Draft. In fact, Heafner was the fourth Wildcat in five years to be chosen during the draft.

Big South, Belmont-Abbey, and Richmond Eras
Cooke was named Big South Coach of the Year in 1992 in just his second season at the helm of the program, when Davidson tied the then-school record for wins at 28.

Prior to taking the reins at Davidson, Cooke served as the head coach and assistant athletic director at Belmont-Abbey in Belmont, N.C. He was responsible for reviving the baseball program following a 17-year hiatus from varsity competition.

Before becoming a Crusader, Cooke was an assistant for five seasons at his alma mater, the University of Richmond. He graduated in 1978 with a degree in journalism and was a three-year letterman for the Spiders. During his senior year, the southpaw went 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA and 73 strikeouts across 68 innings.

Cooke spent three seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, reaching as high as Triple-A and serving as a senior player-coach in 1981 in the Florida State League.

USA Baseball
Cooke has served on seven different staffs with USA Baseball. He first joined the staff of Team USA for the Pan American Games in 1999, when the U.S. earned the silver medal and subsequently qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics. That team, led by legendary manager Tommy Lasorda and on which Cooke served as an auxiliary coach, went on to win gold in Sydney. In 2003, Cooke served as the pitching coach for the USA Baseball College National Team, whose pitching staff posted a record-setting 1.29 ERA with 13 shutouts as the team reeled off 25 consecutive wins while finishing with a 27-2 record. Five of the pitchers on that team, including Justin Verlander, Huston Street and Jared Weaver, were eventual major leaguers.

Cooke then served on the Olympic-qualifying team staff as an auxiliary coach in 2003 and in 2006, when the U.S. beat host squad Cuba in the gold medal game to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. The 2008 team, again with Cooke on staff, earned bronze in Beijing. In November of 2007, he again served as an auxiliary coach, helping lead Team USA to a 6-3 win over Cuba in Taipei City to win the IBAF World Cup for the first time since 1974.