ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum golf coach Bob Dibble has been selected for induction to the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame announced league officials Thursday.
Joining Dibble in the 2017 SAC Hall of Fame Class are Wingate football All-American John Bowman, Newberry golf and volleyball standout Aubrey Mosley, Carson-Newman All-American running back Leonard Weaver and Mars Hill cross country runner Becca Pizzi.
The honorees will be formally inducted at the SAC Hall of Fame Banquet in Greenville, South Carolina on June 1, 2017.
Dibble, who has served as the golf coach at Tusculum for the last 28 years, will be retiring at the conclusion of the spring golf season, ending one of the most decorated and successful coaching tenures at Tennessee's most historic college.
"This is such an amazing honor and I am very, very humbled," said Dibble. "When I received the phone call from Commissioner (Patrick) Britz, I was on the golf course at a tournament and it caught me totally off guard. I didn't know what to think. I am grateful to the South Atlantic Conference for this tremendous honor."
He becomes the sixth Tusculum representative to be selected for induction to the SAC Hall of Fame, joining fellow Pioneers: Ed Hoffmeyer (Inducted in 2008 – Athletic Director), Lesley Murray Hawk (Inducted 2009 – Tennis, Basketball), Ricardo Colclough (Inducted in 2010 – Football), Alan Dunn (Inducted 2014 – Football) and Amanda Musick-Hale (Inducted in 2015 – Cross Country).
"We are so very proud of Coach Dibble for earning this prestigious honor," said Tusculum athletic director Doug Jones. "Bob has been and will forever be associated with Tusculum College golf. For 28 years, he has been a coach, mentor, counselor, colleague and friend for so many since his arrival on our campus in 1989."
The Peoria, Illinois native is wrapping up his 28th year with the men's program and his 20th guiding the fortunes of the women's team. His teams have captured a combined eight conference titles and two region championships during his tenure. He guided the TC men's squad to five consecutive national tournament appearances from 1993-1997. His 2012 women's team earned a berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament, while the men's squad won the 2015 SAC Championship to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Since his arrival on the Greeneville, Tennessee campus in 1989, Dibble has coached the men and women's teams to 65 tournament titles (44 men, 21 women). This season, the Tusculum women captured three tournament trophies, while the men have also accounted for three tournament titles including last weekend's Tusculum Invitational.
He has been honored by his peers as conference coach of the year on nine occasions, including the 2011-12 campaign as he was named the South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year for a second time. He earned the inaugural SAC Coach of the Year accolade during the 1999-2000 season.
During his career at Tusculum, he has coached five All-Americans, nine conference players of the year, six All-Region standouts, 56 All-Conference performers, six Academic All-Americans®, nine SAC Scholar Athletes of the Year, 11 CoSIDA Academic All-District selections and 57 All-American Scholars.
In 1978, Dibble and his family made the move to Tennessee where he served as the head golf professional at Link Hills Country Club in Greeneville, a position he would serve with distinction until stepping down in 2000. He would move his full coaching operation to the Tusculum campus later that year.
In 2014, he was inducted to the Tusculum College Sports Hall of Fame. He was also named the 2015 recipient of the Tennessee PGA Distinguished Career Award. The Distinguished Career Award recognizes current or former Tennessee PGA Section members who have had outstanding careers as PGA Professionals based on service to his or her club, course or employer, service and leadership to the Association, community service, professional playing record and teaching ability. The Distinguished Career Award acknowledges these Tennessee PGA Professionals as vital and significant contributors to the game of golf.
During his coaching tenure at Tusculum, Dibble has built many friendships with coaches, administrators and student-athletes in the game which he says have been very special to him.
"My relationship with other coaches and teams has been terrific," Dibble added. "We all play against each other and try to beat each other, but we are all friends. We all go to dinner a lot with the teams. It's a whole different ball game at the Division II level. It's a great atmosphere which I will miss very much."
In 2007, his SAC coaching peers established the "Bob Dibble Spirit of the Game" Award, which recognizes the SAC women's golf student-athlete that demonstrates a genuine love of the game, outstanding character, leadership and places team before self.
He has coached eight players who qualified for NCAA Division II region play, including three-time All-Conference standout Rachel McFarland who advanced to the 2003 NCAA II National Championship where she finished 16th individually.
He turned pro in 1957 and became a Professional Golf Association member in 1964. Dibble also squeezed in a stint serving in the United States Marine Corps. He served as Midwest PGA President from 1971-73 while living in Missouri and was a club pro in Florida as well. A veteran of the PGA Winter Tour, Dibble qualified for the PGA National Club Pro Championship on three occasions.
Junior golf has been Dibble's passion during his career. He built one of the state's strongest youth programs at Link Hills. Dibble was honored on four occasions with the Tennessee PGA Junior Golf Leader of the Year Award. In 1982, he won the Tennessee PGA Horton Smith Award for his contributions to the game of golf.
In 1998, Dibble was elected to serve as President of the NAIA Golf Coaches Association by his peers. He has served as a rules official at the NCAA II Women's National Championship twice and also served on the NCAA II Women's South Region selection committee.
Dibble has been married to his wife Cindy for over 50 years and the couple has three children: Sandy, Tim and Chris. His son, Chris, is the head golf professional at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville. The Dibbles are also the proud grandparents of nine grandchildren. Cindy has been a fixture with the Tusculum golf programs as well, traveling on many trips with the team and serves as an official scorer at TC's home tournaments.
