July 19, 2007
The Patriot League recently conducted a brief question and answer session with Bucknell Golf Head Coach Jim Cotner . Cotner has led the Bison to back-to-back Patriot League Tournament titles and NCAA appearances. He has earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors three times (2005, 2006 and 2007).
PL: How did you get into coaching golf?
JC: My father coached at the high school level for 30 years. I grew up hanging around football practices, basketball courts and baseball fields. When it came time to select a profession I choose Health, Physical Education, and Recreation since it seemed to be a direct path into coaching. After teaching and coaching at the high school level for twenty-nine years I guess Bucknell's athletic director, John Hardt, felt I needed something to do with my spare time and since Coach Thompson had just retired, the golf job would be a good fit.
PL: What have your experiences at the last two NCAA Tournaments been like?
JC: Traveling to the NCAA Regionals the past two years has been a real eye opener. The trips have been very enjoyable since the weather in Arizona gave the team a chance to wear shorts and short sleeve shirts - items of clothing not worn too much during the spring in the Northeast. Our players got the opportunity to play with and see some of the premier players in the country - guys that you read about in golf publications but seldom see until they are on the PGA Tour. I believe this exposure has really been a great motivator for our players to work at their games over the summer.
PL: Talk about Charlie Waddell, the only student-athlete in Patriot League history to win the Patriot League Golf Championship individual title twice (2005 and 2006)?
JC: Charlie Waddell could be the poster child for the Patriot League. He is the whole package. Charlie had opportunities to go to many schools, some that even offered him scholarships. Selecting Bucknell demonstrated his confidence that he was good enough to take advantage of the opportunity to play Division I golf all four years without being "red shirted" or staying at home while older players played all the tournaments. His decision also reflected his desire to be challenged in the classroom. Obviously, winning the Patriot League individual title two of his four years, earning All-Patriot League status all four years and being selected as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honoree this year justified his decision.
Charlie's success here at Bucknell will be a very strong motivating factor for seasons in the future.
PL: Share your thoughts on coaching in the Patriot League - a conference that prides itself on the scholar-athlete model.
JC: Coaching in the Patriot League at an institution that demands academic achievement as the major highway to gain athletic success is a real privilege. The strength of our program has been recruiting individuals that want to continue to be challenged academically and have the discipline to manage their time to work at developing into a better golfer.
PL: Any special plans for the summer?
JC: Hopefully, I will now be able to play some golf myself! My wife and I will travel and visit family and friends.
