Bobby Pennington was named head coach of the Colgate University men and women's tennis teams in July 2006.
In his first two seasons, Pennington has led both the men and women's teams to the back-to-back appearances in the Patriot League Tournament. He has had nine players named all-league and his players have earned four Player of the Month awards. In just his second season at the helm, Pennington guided Martin MacIntyre to become the 2008 Patriot League Player of the Year. He became just the second player in Colgate history to earn the league's top honor, following Reed Hagmaan in 2005.
Pennington helped turn the men's team from a 6-12 record in 2005-06 to an 11-10 record in 2006-07. The men finished third in the Patriot League with a 4-2 mark, and rode a six-match win streak into the Patriot League Tournament. The Raiders blanked No. 4 seed Lafayette 4-0 in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament, to mark the first win in the league tournament since 2002. Colgate recorded a program first, when three players were named to the all-league teams.
In 2007-08 the men's team posted an 8-11 record and finished third in the Patriot League with a 4-3 mark. Martin MacIntyre captured Player of the Year honors along with a place on the all-league first team.
The women's team went from a 9-9 record in 2005-06 to an 11-8 record in 2006-07. Despite being a young squad, the Raiders posted a 3-1 league mark to finish second the Patriot League. Three players were named to the all-Patriot League teams. In 2007-08 the women got off to its best start since 1993-94, winning its first six matches that included three shutouts. With a 2-2 mark in league player, the Raiders earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament. After dispatching Lafayette in the first round, Colgate fell to Bucknell in the semifinals. Despite the loss, the Raiders recorded its second straight winning season with an 11-9 record.
Prior to taking the job at Colgate, Pennington spent two years as head coach of the men and women's tennis teams at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. In his two years with the Eagles, Pennington coached six all-conference selections and two league Rookies of the Year.
In the spring of 2006, he helped the men's team set a school record for wins in a season with 13 and in 2005, he guided the women to a 7-4 record after the squad recorded just one win the year before.
During his time at Juniata, Pennington founded the Attack & Defend tennis camp. Acting as camp director, Pennington helped instruct 50 children of all ages and ability levels.
While earning his master's degree at Clarion University, Pennington acted as the assistant coach of the women's tennis team from 2002-2004, taking a winless team to nine wins in just one year. He earned his degree in communications and mass media technology in 2004.
Outside of college tennis, Pennington has been the head tennis pro at Toftrees Resort and Conference Center and a ralley ball instructor at Blair Racquet Club. Pennington also spent time coaching boys and girls tennis at Hollidaysburg Area High School in 2001 and 2002.
A 2001 graduate of Kalamazoo College, Pennington and the Hornets advanced all four years to the NCAA tournament. During his freshman year he helped the team clinch the bronze medal with a doubles win over Emory University. The following year, Kalamazoo finished second in the country. In Pennington's final two years with the Hornets, the squad finished with matching ninth-place finishes. He captained the team during his senior year, excelling in doubles play. He was a doubles finalist at the Midwest Rolex Championship and was ranked in the top 20 nationally as a doubles player in the fall of 2000.
