STOCKTON, Calif. – The University of the Pacific named John Cook as its head men’s golf coach Director of Athletics Dr. Ted Leland announced Tuesday. Cook joins the Tigers program from Cal State Stanislaus, where he was head coach for seven years.
“I could not be more excited to lead the Pacific Golf Program,” Cook said. “The Valley has a rich golf history and the University of the Pacific is the perfect place for student athletes to develop and excel on and off the course. I would like to thank Dr. Leland and the University for this opportunity and go Tigers!”
Cook led the Warriors program to back-to-back California Collegiate Athletic Association championships the last two seasons and has advanced to the NCAA Division II Regionals all seven season with four appearances in the NCAA Championship, including reaching the semifinals in 2012.
“John has been a very accomplished head coach at Stanislaus, and we are thrilled to have someone with his experience lead our program,” Leland said. “In seven seasons at Stanislaus he was named the CCAA Coach of the Year four times, which shows how much respect he has garnered among his peers. John has also experienced the world of golf from virtually every aspect, as a student-athlete and then a coach in college at both the Division I and II levels, as well as a professional player touring, and he’s done so locally. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him to the Pacific family.”
Cook, a native of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, was a student-athlete at Cal State Stanislaus from 1990-93, before finishing his collegiate career at Boise State, where he earned a business management degree in 1995. Following his collegiate playing career, Cook was named assistant coach at Boise State and after one season, took over the program as head coach.
Cook was a professional golfer playing in regional and national mini-tour tournaments and worked for Titleist golf as a sales and service consultant. He also worked as an instructor at the John Jacobs Golf School at Stevenson Ranch Golf Course.
Leading Cal State Stanislaus, Cook was just the second Warriors golf coach in a span of nearly 50 years, taking over the program after the retirement of the legendary Jim Hanny. Hanny, a 1949 Pacific graduate, led the Warriors for 42 years with 12 National Championships and was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
In Cook’s seven year tenure, he was named CCAA Coach of the Year four times, in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015. He was also named the West Region Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America in 2009. Under his tutelage, the Warriors program has produced nine All-Americans, a CCAA individual champion, two CCAA most valuable players, a newcomer of the year and three freshmen of the year during his Cal State Stanislaus tenure.
The Warriors finished in the top 15 in the NCAA Championship four times, including the semifinal appearance in 2012 and a sixth-place result in 2009.
Cook and his wife Wendi have a 12-year old son, Conner.
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