Dartmouth’s Whalen retires
- Updated: July 3, 2025
HANOVER — After 36 years leading the Dartmouth baseball program, Bob Whalen announced his retirement Thursday.
The longest-tenured Division I head coach at the same school, Whalen won two Ivy League Championships and had two NCAA Tournament appearances, leading the Big Green to 11 Ivy League Red Rolfe Division Titles, including eight straight from 2008 to 2015.
“The opportunity to coach at Dartmouth College has been the most meaningful aspect of my professional life,” Whalen said. “I have been fortunate to spend my entire career at such a world class academic institution that is also committed to athletic excellence.
“I’m grateful to all the players I’ve had the privilege to coach for their commitment to the program and each other. I’m thankful to the many hard working assistant coaches who have played a significant role in the success of the program and to the Friends of Dartmouth Baseball for their generosity and many levels of friendship and support.”
Whalen ends his career with 653 wins, the most of any Ivy League baseball coach at a single institution and third most in any sport. During his tenure, he mentored eight Ivy League Rookies of the Year, five Ivy Players of the Year and four Ivy Pitchers of the Year. Dartmouth has had 31 Major League Baseball draft picks since Whalen took over, with six reaching the Major Leagues. Ben Rice (1B) was most recent with the New York Yankees making his MLB debut in 2024. The others were Beau Sulser (P) (Pirates and Orioles), Cole Sulser (P) (Rays, Orioles, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Mets), Kyle Hendricks (P) (Cubs and Angels), Ed Lucas (3B) (Marlins) and Mark Johnson (1B) (Pirates, Angels and Mets).
In his 36 seasons at the helm, Whalen has guided Dartmouth to 365 Ivy League wins—a .542 winning percentage and the most league victories by any program during that time. Under his leadership, the Big Green produced 80 first team All-Ivy selections, the highest total in the league over that span. Whalen also currently serves as president of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
Whalen enjoyed success very early. In his first season of 1990, he guided Dartmouth to a 21-17 overall record, the most wins for a first-year Big Green coach. Whalen’s first captain, Mark Johnson (1B), went on to play seven years in the big leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Anaheim Angels and New York Mets.
In 2008, Whalen was named New England Coach of the Year and received the Jack Butterfield Award, presented to a New England coach who exemplifies the integrity and dedication to college baseball that Coach Butterfield embodied. That season, Dartmouth went 25–15 overall and 15–5 in Ivy League play, capturing the first of eight consecutive division titles and earning a spot in the Ivy League Championship Series.
The 2008 season proved to be a preview of what was ahead. In 2009, Dartmouth again claimed the Rolfe Division title with a league-best 16–4 record. The Big Green capped the decade by winning the Ivy League Championship Series over Cornell, earning a trip to the NCAA Regional. Outfielder Nick Santomauro was named Ivy League Player of the Year and received the Blair Bat Award, given to the league’s top hitter. Following his standout junior season, he was selected in the 10th round of the MLB Draft by the New York Mets and signed with the organization.
The Big Green claimed its second straight conference championship in 2010, defeating Columbia in the Ivy Championship Series to earn the league’s automatic bid to an NCAA Regional. Dartmouth picked up its first victory in a regional game in 23 years when it defeated Florida International, 15-9, then nearly knocked off No. 20 Texas A&M in a 4-3 loss. O’Dowd was the conference co-Rookie of the Year while the pitching staff led the nation in fewest walks allowed per nine innings for the second straight year.
During that 2010 season, Whalen earned his 384th career victory — a 5-4, 10-inning thriller at Princeton — pushing him past Jeff Tesreau (1919-46) as Dartmouth’s all-time winningest coach.
In 2022, the Big Green posted a strong 24-19 record, including 14-7 in the Ivy League, finishing third in the conference standings. Outfielder Kade Kretzschmar was selected as the Ivy League Player of Year while shortstop Tyler Cox led the league in batting to claim the Blair Bat Award while also taking home the Rookie of the Year honor, as well as a spot on the All-New England Second Team.
This past season in 2025, Dartmouth swept a series with Cornell to give itself a chance until the very last game of the season for a bid into the four-team Ivy League Tournament.
Prior to his arrival at Dartmouth, Whalen was an assistant at the University of Maine from 1982-89 and was promoted to associate head coach in 1987.
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