Bob Whalen (born October 15, 1957) is an Americancollege baseball coach who was the head coach ofDartmouth from the start of the 1990 season until the end of the 2025 season. Under Whalen, the Big Green appeared in twoNCAA tournaments. A Maine alumnus, Whalen worked as an assistant coach there from 1982 to 1989.^[1]

Whalen playedcollege baseball under head coachJohn Winkin atMaine from 1976 to 1979, appearing on the school's1976 College World Series team. His teammates at Maine includedRed Sox coachBrian Butterfield,Clemson head coachJack Leggett, and major leaguerBert Roberge.^[2]

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 fourCollege World Series.^[1][2][3][4]

While a Maine assistant, Whalen also worked as anAmerican Legion baseball coach and was the head coach of theCape Cod Baseball League'sChatham Anglers from 1988 to 1989.^[1][5][6]

WhenMike Walsh leftDartmouth in late 1989 to become theathletic director atWashington & 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 leadinghitter (.476).^[7] Whalen also had three players selected in theMLB draft.Mark Johnson, a 20th-round selection of thePirates in 1990, later played inMajor 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-placeBrown. In the Ivy Championship Series, however, it was swept by Gehrig Division championPrinceton. 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.ShortstopEd Lucas, who was drafted in2004, went on to play for theMiami Marlins.^[1][7][8][9]

WhenMaine head coachPaul Kostacopoulos left forNavy at the end of the2005 season, Whalen was one of the finalists to replace him, but the school instead hiredManhattan head coachSteve Trimper.^[10][11]

In the late 2000s, Whalen oversaw extensive $5.2 million renovations toRed Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, Dartmouth's home venue. The renovations added anartificial 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 theJack Butterfield Award in 2010. The Big Green won the Ivy League Championship Series twice in this stretch, defeatingCornell in 2009 andColumbia in 2010, to advance to theNCAA tournament. As the four seed at the2009 Chapel Hill Regional, Dartmouth went 0–2, losing games to hostNorth Carolina and third-seededKansas. As the four seed at the2010 Coral Gables Regional, Dartmouth went 1–2; the team dropped its opener to hostMiami (FL), then eliminated third-seededFIU before being eliminated byTexas 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-hitshutout in the game.^[17][18]

From 2000 to 2014, 18 of Whalen's players have been selected in theMajor League Baseball draft. The highest selections, eighth-roundersEd Lucas andKyle 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]

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

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

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

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

• List of current NCAA Division I baseball coaches
• Dartmouth Big Green

• Living people
• 1957 births
• Sportspeople from Needham, Massachusetts
• Baseball players from Norfolk County, Massachusetts
• Maine Black Bears baseball players
• High school baseball coaches in the United States
• Cape Cod Baseball League coaches
• Maine Black Bears baseball coaches
• Dartmouth Big Green baseball coaches
• Baseball coaches from Massachusetts
• 20th-century American sportsmen

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• Use mdy dates from June 2025