Bob Lindsay

Class:
Redshirt

For over two decades, Kent State women’s basketball head coach Bob Lindsay has defined the meaning of success in the Mid-American Conference. The winningest coach in MAC women’s basketball history, Lindsay has racked up 372 career victories and 232 conference wins.

“Women’s basketball at Kent State State University under Bob Lindsay is a shining example of excellence in action over a long period of time both on and off the court,” Athletic Director Laing Kennedy said.

Over his last 17 years, Lindsay has put together eleven 20-win seasons with the Golden Flashes. He also has led Kent State to four NCAA Tournament appearances since 1996.

Entering the 2009-10 campaign, Lindsay is just three victories away from becoming the MAC’s all-time leader in coaching victories in either men’s or women’s basketball. Lindsay trails Toledo long-time men’s basketball mentor Bob Nichols, who posted 375 wins in his career.

During the 2004-05 season, Lindsay became the first women’s coach, and the third overall, to win 300 games as a MAC coach. That same season, he led a Kent State team with one senior to a share of the MAC East Division championship and fell one win shy of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

In his 20 years as the Golden Flashes’ mentor, Lindsay has amassed a career record of 372-214 (.635) and a Mid-American Conference regular-season record of 232-100 (.699), the best-ever marks for a league head coach. Lindsay became the first women’s basketball coach, and the fourth MAC hardwood coach overall, to reach 200 victories when his Golden Flashes upset nationally ranked Virginia 85-74 on Jan. 24, 2000. He won his 250th game in the 2002 MAC Tournament quarterfinals with an 83-63 victory over Ohio University on March 3.

In 2006, Lindsay became the first MAC head coach to reach 200 conference wins.

Under Lindsay’s tutelage, Kent State players have been named to the All-MAC First Team 16 times, including 2006 MAC Player of the Year Lindsay Shearer, two-time MAC Player of the Year Amy Sherry (1995 and 1996), 2000 MAC Player of the Year Dawn Zerman and 2002 First Team Academic All-America selection Kate Miller. Twenty-six others have been selected to the second team or received honorable mention. In addition, 13 players have been all-freshman team honorees with three of those players being named the MAC Freshman of the Year. In 2006, the Flashes won three of the five postseason awards given by the MAC coaches and News Media Association as Shearer (MAC Player of the Year), Malika Willoughby (MAC Defensive Player of the Year), and La’kia Stewart (MAC Sixth Man of the Year) were honored for their outstanding performances. Shearer, one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in school history, was selected to the Academic All-MAC squad for the third consecutive year. She also was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year, in addition to receiving an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Lindsay took over a substandard program in 1989 and turned it into one of the conference’s best. In just his second season, the Flashes made a dramatic turnaround, winning 12 more games than the previous year. Lindsay’s teams continued to improve in his third and fourth seasons in both MAC and non-conference play. During the postseason, Lindsay has been equally impressive, challenging for a league title or NCAA berth 15 of the 18 seasons since he was named Kent State’s head coach May 17, 1989.

After a number of injuries yielded a tough start to the 2006-07 season, Lindsay’s squad turned things around to start MAC play winning eight of 10 games to begin the calendar year.

In 2003-04 Lindsay guided a young, relatively inexperienced bunch (one senior) to a second place finish in the MAC East after finishing the regular season on a tear by winning their last eight games and 10-of-11, earning a first round bye in the MAC tournament and the school’s first-ever postseason WNIT bid. Kent State also handed the MAC regular season champion Miami RedHawks its only two conference defeats of the season.

In 2002-03, Lindsay led the Golden Flashes to a 10-6 MAC record, earning 10 or more MAC wins for the 12th straight year, despite not having Preseason All-MAC pick Andrea Csaszar the whole year due to injury.

In 2001-02 Lindsay might have had his best coaching job at Kent State as the Golden Flashes won their fifth consecutive East Division crown and their third MAC Tournament title in five years despite having only seven healthy players in the conference season.

Following a 5-22 record in his first season, Lindsay’s teams have posted a 348-182 (.657) record during the past 18 years. The Golden Flashes have qualified for the MAC Tournament each of the past 16 seasons and have advanced to the MAC Tournament championship game in 11 of the last 17 years, winning the event in 1998, 2000 and 2002. The Golden Flashes have won or shared five of the last 10 regular-season conference crowns, posting a perfect 18-0 record during the 1997-98 season.

Lindsay has been named the MAC Coach of the Year twice (1996, 1998) and the WBCA District IV Coach of the Year once (2000) while leading his team to the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons. The 1995-96 club, seeded 10th after receiving just the second at-large bid in conference history, upset seventh-seeded Texas A&M University, 72-68, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Flashes then bowed out to host and second-seeded Penn State University, 86-59, in the second round. In 1998, the 13th-seeded Golden Flashes lost to host Iowa State University, the fourth seed, 79-76 in the NCAA Tournament’s first round. In 1999-2000, ninth-seeded Kent State fell to eighth-seeded University of Arizona 73-61 in the first round. The Golden Flashes fell to Kansas State University, 93-65, in the first round in 2002.

Along the way, Kent State has gained national attention and respect. The Golden Flashes have received votes in the national weekly Top 25 polls seven of the last 12 seasons; following the 1995-96 season Kent State was ranked 32nd in the CNN/USA Today Women’s Basketball Poll.

One reason for Kent State’s dominance has been its play at home. The Golden Flashes boasted a 43-game home court winning streak from 1997-2001, the longest active streak in the nation at the time. During Lindsay’s tenure Kent State is 176-45 (.796) at Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, including a 126-25 (.834) mark during the past 13 years.

Lindsay came to Kent State from the College of the Holy Cross, an NCAA Division I program that had won 20 or more games in four of the five years prior to his departure. Lindsay was first assistant at Holy Cross from 1984-89. During that time the Lady Crusaders compiled a 103-42 (.710) record and competed in the NCAA Tournament in 1985, ‘86 and ‘88.

While at Holy Cross, Lindsay recruited and coached one Rhodes Scholar finalist, three Academic All-Americans and three conference players of the year.
In 1989, he was inducted into the United States Lacrosse Coaches Association’s Century Club for 100 career wins. Lindsay was active in regional administration of the sport, serving as vice president of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

A native of Worcester, Mass., Lindsay graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. Lindsay was a starting defenseman in lacrosse, playing on teams that were nationally ranked with one club advancing to the USILA/NCAA Final Four.

Season	Overall	Pct.	MAC	Pct.	Notes
1989-90	5-22	.185	3-13	.188	Team included only one senior
1990-91	17-12	.586	9-7	.562	Best overall record in eight years
1991-92	18-12	.600	10-6	.625	Double-digit MAC wins for 1st time
1992-93	20-9	.690	12-6	.667	First 20-win season in 12 years
1993-94	20-8	.714	12-6	.667	Won eight of last 10 games
1994-95	17-10	.630	12-6	.667	Six losses by single digits
1995-96	24-7	.774	16-2	.889	MAC Champions, NCAA berth
1996-97	20-10	.667	14-4	.778	MAC Tournament runner-up
1997-98	23-7	.767	18-0	1.000	MAC Champions, NCAA berth
1998-99	22-7	.759	14-2	.875	Shared MAC crown, 11-0 at home
1999-00	25-6	.806	15-1	.938	MAC Champions, NCAA berth
2000-01	21-8	.724	14-2	.875	East Division Champs, 12-0 at home
2001-02	20-11	.645	13-3	.813	MAC co-Champs, NCAA berth
2002-03	16-13	.552	10-6	.625	13th straight double-digit win season
2003-04	19-10	.655	12-4	.750	Earned postseason WNIT bid
2004-05	21-9	.700	12-4	.750	MAC East co-Champs
2005-06	21-9	.700	12-4	.750	MAC Tournament runner-up
2006-07	15-13	.536	11-5	.688	17th straight 15-win season
2007-08	9-21	.300	11-5	.688	No seniors on the roster
2008-09	19-10	.655	8-8	.500	Went 11-1 in non-conference games
TOTAL	372-214	.635	232-100	.699