Fort Lewis College Athletics

Bob Hofman's record at FLC is far and away the best in school history. Hofman’s FLC teams have posted an overall record of 341-181 (.653) and a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record of 232-108 (.682)  heading into the 2014-15 season. During his tenure in Durango, Hofman’s Skyhawks and Raiders have won three RMAC regular season crowns, four RMAC postseason championships, six RMAC West Division trophies and seven NCAA Division II playoff berths.
 
With his first victory in 2011-12 campaign, Hofman reached 400 career-victory milestone at the college level. His overall collegiate coaching record through the 2014-15 season is 475-299 (.614) in 27 seasons, which includes stints at NCAA Division I Eastern Washington University (32-54 from 1987-90) and RMAC rival Western State College (82-55 from 1995-2000). At the NCAA Division II level, he has posted a 443-245 record (.644) in 24 seasons.
 
Even more impressive is his record since returning to Fort Lewis in 2000-01. During this time span, Hofman’s troops have won two RMAC regular season titles, three RMAC Shootouts, six RMAC West Division crowns and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs eight times. During this time, his overall record is 297-143 (.675), while his RMAC slate is 205-93 (.688). With the exception of the 2014-15 season, the Skyhawks have finished no lower than second in the RMAC West since the 2001-02 season, when they captured West Division and RMAC Shootout titles.
 
His 2010-11 Skyhawks advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen, picking up the first two NCAA playoff wins in the history of the FLC men’s basketball program. Along the way, the Skyhawks embarked on a magical playoff run that saw them reel off five straight wins — three in the RMAC Shootout and two in the NCAA Division II Central Regionals. FLC’s 24 wins in 2010-11 tied a school record for most wins in a season.
 
Fort Lewis went 16-12 in 2011-12, advancing back to the semifinals of the RMAC Shootout.
 
Hofman earned a pair of RMAC Coach of the Year awards (in 1986-87 and 2004-05) and one RMAC West Division Coach of the Year accolade (in 2007-08). He was also chosen as the NAIA District VII Coach of the Year in 1986-87, the Big Sky Coach of the Year (at Eastern Washington) in 1989-90, and the Denver Post RMAC Coach of the Year in 1998-99 (at Western State).
 
Prior to returning to Fort Lewis, Hofman spend five seasons as the head coach at Western State from 1995-2000. To this day, he remains the winningest coach in Mountaineers men’s basketball history.
 
In an ironic twist of fate, Hofman became FLC’s winningest coach of all-time on January 29, 2005, as the Skyhawks defeated Western State 89-70 in front of over 1,300 fans in Whalen Gymnasium. He is currently the only coach in the state of Colorado that can say he’s the winningest coach at two four-year institutions.
 
Hofman is the seventh head men's basketball coach since Fort Lewis College began competing as a four-year school during the 1962-63 season. Others to coach FLC men’s basketball teams include Don Whalen (1962-70), Larry Overcast (1970-72), Chuck Walker (1972-83), Sam Antcliffe (1987-88), Jim Cross (1988-98) and Keith Durham (1998-2000).
 
During his first tenure as the FLC men’s basketball skipper, from 1983 to 1987, Hofman built the Raiders (the school’s nickname changed to Skyhawks in 1994) into a regional powerhouse, posting a 64-47 record, while qualifying for the NAIA District VII playoffs three of four seasons.
 
Hofman’s 1986-87 squad won the RMAC regular season and postseason championships with a 20-6 overall record and a 12-2 league record. After guiding the Raiders to their best season ever at the time (.769 winning percentage, 20-6 overall), Hofman was honored with the RMAC Coach of the Year award.
 
His 1985-86 team came within one game of qualifying for the NAIA National Championships, losing a 61-58 heartbreaker to Southern Colorado in the NAIA District VII championship game. Still, the Raiders went 22-9 overall and 13-3 in the RMAC, setting a school record for most victories in a single season. He received the Floyd Theard Memorial Award as the NAIA District VII Coach of the Year for his efforts.
 
1985-86 marked just the second 20-win season in school history. During his 15 years at FLC, Hofman-coached teams have eclipsed the 20-win plateau eight times, including 24-win campaigns in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11 — the most victories in a single season in FLC history. The only other FLC coach to reach 20 wins in a single season was Chuck Walker in 1977-78 (21-8).
 
Hofman left Durango in August 1987 to pursue an NCAA Division I job at Eastern Washington, where he served as head coach from 1987-90. In 1990, he won Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year accolades and led the Eagles to an 18-11 record and within one game of a berth in March Madness.
 
After his stay at Eastern Washington, Hofman served as an assistant coach in the NCAA Division I ranks at Fresno State from 1990-95.
 
He returned to the RMAC in 1995 as head coach at Western State, guiding the Mountaineers to five appearances in the league playoffs and an 82-55 overall record. Hofman’s teams finished second in the RMAC West Division three straight years from 1996-97 to 1998-99. The Denver Post chose Hofman as their 1998-99 RMAC Coach of the Year.
 
Prior to coming to Fort Lewis College in 1983, Hofman served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Colorado, from 1981-83.
 
He was a highly successful high school coach before that, posting a 97-49 record in seven seasons at Fairview High School in Boulder, Hinkley High School in Aurora, and St. Anthony High School in Wailuka Maui, Hawaii. He was chosen as the Colorado High School Coach of the Year in 1981 after guiding Fairview to a 23-2 record and the Colorado 4A championship. His 1980 Fairview team advanced to the district finals.
 
In his 40 years as a collegiate and high school coach, Hofman has earned a reputation as an educator and a builder, best known for taking programs to the next level with his enthusiastic coaching style.
 
"In the overall aspect of a program, the first thing that you have to be concerned with is, ‘What is your program able to give the school?’" said Hofman. "We look at identity, respectability, and responsibility and you can’t say that one of those is more important than the other. Obviously, it’s important to be successful because the best lessons in life are learned from success. We want to have student-athletes that are not majoring in eligibility but know that they are here to get their degree and be a successful member of society after they graduate."
 
Fans appreciate his coaching style, which is clearly demonstrated by attendance figures at schools where Hofman has coached. Eastern Washington’s home crowds grew by more than 40 percent during his three-year stay in Cheney. Longtime Fort Lewis College fans recall the days when Whalen Gymnasium was filled to capacity during Hofman’s last two years in Durango in the mid-1980s.
 
Originally from Pasadena, Calif., Hofman earned all-state honors in basketball and football at Pasadena High School. He played point guard at Colorado for legendary coach Russell "Sox" Walseth from 1970-74.
 
He and his wife, Nancy, have three sons, Luke, Robbie, and Nick. Nick plays soccer at Fort Lewis and was part of the Skyhawks’ 2009 and 2011 NCAA Division II national championship teams.