Bob Rager - Men's Basketball Head Coach
Bob Rager is in his 21st season as head coach of the Point Park University men's basketball team. At the start of the 2009-10 season, he will become the longest-tenured coach in Pioneers' men's basketball history.
Rager, who played basketball at Point Park from 1970-74, was hired as Point Park's fourth men's basketball coach prior to the 1989-90 season.
Rager's successor was Jerry Conboy, Point Park's all-time leader in victories. In 20 seasons, Conboy won 305 games from 1969-1988.
After guiding Point Park to a 12-16 record in 2008-09, Rager's all-time record at his alma mater stands at 286-273 (.511). Last year was just the second time in the last nine years that the Pioneers had a sub-.500 record.
Rager has led Point Park to three appearances in the NAIA tournament, including a trip to the NAIA Division I Final Four in 1996-97. Rager guided Point Park to the NAIA Division II tournament in 2000-01 and 2006-07. The Pioneers made it to the Sweet 16 in 2000-01, and they were ranked No. 3 in the country in the final poll of 2006-07.
He has been named Coach of the Year on two occasions. Most recently he was named the AMC North Coach of the Year after leading Point Park to the AMC Championship in 2006-07. He was also named AMC North Coach of the Year in 2004-05.
Through the years, Rager has continued the strong tradition built by his college coach and has also had several standout seasons.
The Pioneers are just two years removed from winning the AMC championship in 2006-07. That year, Point Park earned a trip to the NAIA Division II tournament after winning 29 of their first 30 games. Although Point Park lost in the first round, it set a record for wins in a season with a final record of 29-2. Also, the Pioneers set a record for consecutive victories by winning 20 games in a row.
The 2006-07 season marked the second straight AMC North Division title for the Pioneers, and they ended the season with a No. 3 ranking in the final NAIA Division II poll to set a school record for highest spot in the national ratings.
Playing Rager's fast, up-tempo style of play, Point Park led the nation in scoring in 2006-07 and 2005-06. The Pioneers averaged 92.94 points per game in 2006-07 to lead NAIA Division II, and the year before they averaged a national-best 89.84 points per game.
Point Park was third in the country in scoring in 2007-08 at 88.29 points per game.
In 1996-97, Rager guided Point Park to the best finish in school history by leading the Pioneers to an appearance in the NAIA Division I Final Four in Tulsa, Okla. That year, Point Park had a record of 23-8, which was the first of Rager's three 20-win seasons.
Beginning in 2000-01, Rager began an eight-year stretch in which he averaged 18 wins per season. That year, Point Park posted a record of 21-12 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Division II tournament in Point Lookout, Mo.
Rager has a record of 75-65 (.535) in 10 seasons in the AMC. Point Park joined the AMC in 1998-99, but was not eligible for league standings until the following year. In 1999-00, Rager's team was 3-15 in AMC play but engineered a remarkable turnaround the following season.
In 2000-01, Point Park' second official season in the league, the Pioneers were 13-5 in AMC play and lost in the championship game of the conference tournament.
In his previous 20 years as Point Park coach, Rager has a record of 128-120 in conference play.
A native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Munhall, Pa., Rager was Point Park's first All-American, and he is one of a dozen players who have scored more than 1,000 career points.
Rager scored 1,071 career points, and his 367 career assists rank sixth in school history. In his four-year career he averaged 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Rager shot 43 percent from the field.
BOB RAGER'S YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORDS AT POINT PARK
YEAR OVERALL CONF. PCT.
2008-09 12-16 4-9 .429
2007-08 16-12 6-4 .571
2006-07 29-2 9-1 .935
2005-06 17-8 10-4 .680
2004-05 15-15 7-7 .500
2003-04 14-13 5-9 .519
2002-03 11-13 6-6 .458
2001-02 19-10 12-6 .655
2000-01 21-12 13-5 .636
1999-00 4-23 3-15 .148
1998-99 9-14 NA .391
1997-98 14-12 8-4 .538
1996-97 23-8 8-4 .741
1995-96 13-15 7-5 .464
1994-95 9-19 5-7 .320
1993-94 13-13 6-7 .500
1992-93 18-10 6-4 .600
1991-92 8-21 1-9 .276
1990-91 12-16 7-5 .429
1989-90 9-21 5-9 .300
TOTAL 286-273 128-120 .512
*Note: The 1998-99 season was Point Park's first year in the AMC. The Pioneers were not eligible for a conference record until the 1999-2000 season. Rager has a record of 75-66 (.531) in nine seasons in the AMC.
