Robert Bonn

Director of Athletics
Staff

Robert Bonn serves as director of athletics and as department chair for exercise and sport science within the division of education.  Bonn, who begins his 17th year at Carthage in 2008-09, came from Pacific University in April 1992 where he served as head men’s basketball coach, athletics director and chair of the department of physical education during his eight year tenure.  Prior to that, Bonn was an assistant men’s basketball coach at both Western New Mexico University and at Framingham State College and head coach for boy’s basketball and baseball at Westwood High School in Massachusetts.

Under Bonn’s leadership, the Carthage athletic program has become nationally recognized and respected based on significant improvements in facilities, fund raising, coaching expertise, team success and athletes.  Athletic participation includes almost 30 percent of the undergraduate student body, with over 600 students involved in 24 NCAA intercollegiate sports (12 men, 12 women).  Five sports have been added during Bonn’s tenure:  men’s and women’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s volleyball and women’s water polo.  He will start intercollegiate lacrosse at Carthage, with  the men’s team beginning in the spring of 2009 and the women’s team starting in 2010.  In the past 15 years, Carthage teams have won 52 College of Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships and 13 NCAA regional championships in 15 different sports.

Bonn earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from the University of Connecticut in 1974 where he lettered in baseball and lacrosse.  He was a member of the Connecticut baseball team that played in the 1972 College World Series and was named lacrosse defensive player of the year for the 1974 squad.  He received his master’s degree from Springfield College in 1975 and his doctorate in education, with an emphasis in sport psychology and sociology from Boston University in 1983.

Bonn serves on the NCAA Region 4 Postgraduate Scholarship Committee and the Kenosha United Way Cabinet.  He is a company leader for the American Heart Association Southeastern Wisconsin “heart walk” and a member of the Kenosha Junior Achievement Board of Directors.  In Kenosha County, he serves on the selection committee for the Holy Rosary “Sports Night High School Athletes of the Year.”   Bonn is a past president of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD), a former member of the NCAA Division III Nominating Committee and a former member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) executive committee.   He was inducted into the Rockland High School (Massachusetts) Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, where he was a three sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball.   Bonn was named GeneralSports TURF Systems “Division III West Region Athletic Director of the Year” in 2007 by NACDA for his accomplishments at Carthage.