He was named to that position prior to the 1991 season, and is the winningest and longest-serving baseball coach in school history.
After graduating with a degree in journalism in 1978, he spent three years in the Boston Red Sox organization at class-A, appearing in 85 games with a 2.95 ERA.
[1] A few years after ending his playing career, Cooke accepted a position as assistant coach at Richmond, where he remained for five seasons.
In his time with the Wildcats, ten players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
[2] Just a month later, the car Cooke was driving was struck by another vehicle, leaving him with serious head injuries.