Bob Hoffman has been successful at every level. So there’s no doubt that he has the University of Texas-Pan American basketball team on track to keep improving, as they move onward and upward to the next level and challenge for a spot in the post-season NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

All Hoffman has done in his first two years at the helm of the Broncs’ program is lead UTPA to the best back-to-back seasons that the program has seen since the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. Despite a strengthened schedule and an excellent slate of home games, Hoffman has his team poised to repeat their success, both at home and on the road.

“We are 18-7 at home in the past two years, 9-2 last year, which is certainly something positive,” said Hoffman. “The first year I was here, we broke the longest road losing streak in NCAA history, 64 games. We won three games on the road my first year, and we had guys who were seniors who had never gone on the road and won. Last year, we were in the top 25 in field goal percentage in the nation, which is impressive considering that we had 18 road games. And since I’ve been here, we’ve been graduating most of our seniors.”

Hoffman began his college coaching career at Southern Nazarene, where his team began the longest home court winning streak in women’s basketball history-120 games in succession. He then went on to a stellar career at Oklahoma Baptist, leading the Bison to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics finals. He was named Women’s Coach of the Year by the NAIA in 1988-89, and was honored as Men’s National Coach of the Year by Basketball Times in 1992-93.

At Southern Nazarene, Hoffman took a team that had never had a winning season and won the 1989 NAIA National Championship in just his second season. In three years at SNU he compiled an 88-16 record, and was named Sooner Athletic Conference, NAIA District 9 and NAIA Women’s Coach of the Year.  He coached two NAIA All-Americans and numerous All-Conference players at Southern Nazarene.

As the men’s coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist, he turned the Bison into a team that was a force to be reckoned with nationally on an annual basis.  In his third season, the Bison went 34-4 and advanced all the way to the NAIA National Championship game.  Hoffman was named Sooner Athletic Conference and NAIA District 9 Coach of the Year for his team’s performance. 

The following year the Bison went 30-7, advancing to the NAIA Final Four, winning at Oregon State and falling at Brigham Young by just two points.  In the next two seasons, the Bison posted a combined 57-13 record, advanced to the NAIA Tournament each year, and   Hoffman was again named SAC Coach of the Year.  During the 1996-97 season, Hoffman led the Bison to a school-record 36 wins, the SAC Championship, and the school’s second NAIA National Runner-up finish.  For the second straight season, Hoffman was named SAC Coach of the year.

The 1997-98 season saw Hoffman and OBU miss out on the NAIA Tournament for the first time in five years.  But in 1998-99, his last season at Oklahoma Baptist, the Bison sent Hoffman out in style with a 31-7 record, an NAIA Elite Eight appearance and a tie for the SAC title.

During Hoffman’s tenure at OBU, the Bison advanced to the NAIA National Tournament six times. His athletes earned 21 All-Conference honors, and 10 were named NAIA All-American, including three first team picks.  Two players were named SAC Player of the Year, while two others were named SAC Tournament MVP.  Hoffman finished his tenure at OBU with a 244-78 record and a winning percentage of .758.  During his nine years at OBU, Hoffman’s teams averaged more than 90 points per game, and led the NAIA in field goal percentage seven times.

Hoffman began his coaching career at Piedmont (OK) High School, shortly after he graduated from OBU.  He spent two years as an assistant coach, then became the head coach, and led Piedmont to a 79-30 record, three appearances at the Oklahoma Class 3A Tournament, and a pair of appearances in the state quarterfinals. The three state tournament trips were Piedmont’s first ever, and he was named Oklahoma City Coach of the Year before moving on to the college ranks, becoming assistant coach at Oklahoma Baptist for two seasons before being named head women’s coach at NAIA District 9 rival Southern Nazarene. 

Hoffman’s teams have been as successful off the court as they have been on the court.  At Southern Nazarene, two of Hoffman’s players were named All-American Scholar Athletes, while   during his nine years at OBU, Hoffman’s teams had an 87 percent graduation rate. Four times OBU players were named All-American Scholar Athletes. Last year Reggie Kuzet, a senior center, received numerous academic honors, including an invitation to the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference.  He was named an All-American Scholar and earned National Dean’s List recognition.

Very well respected in both the Oklahoma and South Texas communities, Hoffman ran the largest summer basketball team camp in Oklahoma.  His 1999 camp had over 1,300 participants, more than camps at either the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University.  After his first year, his camp at UTPA attracted the highest number of campers in recent memory.

A standout guard and forward and a 1979 graduate of Oklahoma Baptist, Hoffman is one of just 30 players to score at least 1,000 points in his OBU career.  A native of Oklahoma City, Hoffman is married to the former Kelli Lumry.  The couple have one son, Grant, 5.

Bob Hoffman’s Career Coaching Record

Southern Nazarene (Women)
1988-90  88-16   NAIA National Championship, SAC, District 9, NAIA National Coach of the Year

Oklahoma Baptist (Men)
1990-91  15-17
1991-92  16-17
1992-93  34-4    NAIA Runner-up, District 9 Champs., SAC Champions, District 9 
                 Coach of the Year, Basketball Times National Coach of the Year
1993-94  30-7    NAIA Final Four, Defeated Div. I Oregon State
1994-95  28-6    NAIA National Tournament
1995-96  29-7    SAC Coach of the Year, NAIA National Tournament
1996-97  36-4    NAIA Runner-up, SAC Coach of the Year, SAC Champions
1997-98  24-9
1998-99  31-7    NAIA Elite Eight, Tied-1st SAC

UT Pan American (Men)
1999-00  12-16   Posted 9-5 home record, UTPA’s best record in five years
2000-01	 12-17   UTPA's best back-to-back seasons since 1988-89 and 1989-1990
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Total    355-127 NAIA National Championship, Two NAIA Second Place Finishes, Four-time Sooner 
                 Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, NAIA Coach of the Year, 
                 Basketball Times National Coach of the Year, 12 All-Americans