Bob Cawood '13 is stepping down as the Hope College women's and men's tennis coach after an accomplished four-year run on the court. He is joining his family's construction company in Okemos, Michigan.
Cawood guided Hope teams to four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, four Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular-season championships, four MIAA Tournament titles, and 76 match victories.
“As a player, I had a great role model in my coach, Steve Gorno. Along with my family, he helped shape me into the person I am. As a coach, my hope was to be able to give back to the student-athletes the kind of experience that I had,” Cawood said. “Hope is an amazing place. I want to say thank you to my teams, the athletic department, the athletic trainers, and all the support staff.
“It has been an amazing journey. I’m thankful for every opportunity that I’ve had.”
Director of Athletics Tim Schoonveld said Cawood has had an outstanding impact on Hope’s campus and the tennis program as a student-athlete, assistant coach, and head coach.
“This is a bittersweet announcement for Hope College. We are proud of Bob and excited for the new chapter he is moving into but are extremely disappointed to be losing a fantastic coach and an even better person,” Schoonveld said. ”He has been instrumental in the success of our men’s and women’s teams and is leaving our programs in great places. We will miss him and thank him for all that he has done at Hope College both in our tennis programs and within the tennis center.”
A search for a replacement will begin immediately, Schoonveld said.
“We are committed to finding someone who can carry on what Bob has done through competitive excellence and transformational experiences,” Schoonveld said.
The Hope College women’s tennis team continued an MIAA-record title run during Cawood’s tenure. The Flying Dutch won MIAA regular-season and tournament titles in 2018, 2019, and 2021; the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hope has claimed nine consecutive MIAA Tournament championships as well as six MIAA regular-season titles in a row. Both are league records.
Additionally, Hope made nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the past three. The Cawood-led Flying Dutch reached the second round in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Hope posted a 45-21 match record the past four seasons.
The Hope College men’s tennis team won their first NCAA Tournament match in 2018 while making their third postseason appearance. Hope defeated Franciscan University (Ohio) in the first round before losing to Washington-St. Louis University University in the second round.
The Flying Dutchmen qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2018 by winning at Calvin University, 5-1, in the MIAA Tournament final. Hope advanced to the MIAA Tournament final under Cawood’s direction all three times the tournament was held and finished with a 31-37 match record over four seasons.
While at Hope, Cawood also worked as a staff professional at DeWitt Tennis Center.
Cawood was an accomplished tennis student-athlete at Hope himself. He captained the Flying Dutchmen’s MIAA co-championship team in 2013. He was a three-time, All-MIAA First Team honoree and three-time Team MVP for the Flying Dutchmen.
As a junior, Cawood was chosen the recipient of MIAA's Allen B. Stowe Sportsmanship Award in 2012. Cawood's 104 career wins between singles and doubles play are the third-most in team history. Cawood recorded a singles record of 56-12 and a doubles record of 48-28. His singles wins are the fourth most by a Flying Dutchmen player.