Scholarship Honoring Dick and Susan Cooke a Home Run for 機ats
May 24, 2022
- Author
- Danielle Strickland
Dick and Susan Cooke approach life揷oaching, parenting, friendship揳s a team.
It took about a day for Dick and Susan Cooke to know they had found their permanent home in 91茄子, North Carolina. Dick was taking on the role of head baseball coach, and Susan worked in Charlotte before joining the college檚 fundraising team.
The couple first pulled into their driveway across the street from campus 32 years ago, and in that time, the Cooke family, including now-adult daughters Alison, Lindsay and Erin, has welcomed hundreds of members by extension搕hrough the baseball program, the campus and the town.
One extended family member, Jack Purcell 02, and his wife, Neely, are showing their appreciation for the deep influence of Dick and Susan on their lives and the lives of many through the establishment of the Susan and Dick Cooke Baseball Scholarship. The scholarship will support students and aid in the recruitment of top talent for the 機ats.
淒ick and Susan are a team, said Purcell, a four-year impact player as an infielder. 淭hey approach life, parenting, coaching, working, friendships as a cohesive unit, and when I think about parenting our daughters, I remember the family-first approach they demonstrated to all of us as players, always having their girls at the field and making them a part of every day. It has been a huge influence in my life and, frankly, this recognition is long overdue.
The Purcells believe in investing in people, and their philanthropy reflects that. This scholarship will make 91茄子 a possibility for scholar-athletes who might otherwise have to look elsewhere攖o colleges and universities that can give them more financial support.
淲hat this means to us is hard to articulate, Dick said. 淭he family influence resonates so deeply. This isn檛 something you檙e intentionally doing as a coach攜ou檙e trying to make the right pitching moves and hit and run at the right times. To know people have paid close attention to the family piece is humbling, and it is incredibly right that this is named for Susan, too.
Beyond Wins and Losses
It takes a lot more than a scorebook for a head coach to stick around for as long as Dick Cooke has. Even after leaving the dugout after 28 seasons, he didn檛 go far. Today, he is an associate athletic director for the college. Susan has been a member of the fundraising team for 24 years. It檚 unusual to attend a game at Wilson Field without one or both of them in the stands or walking around the whole time, which is more Dick檚 style.
淥ur girls grew up at the baseball field, and the players were their de facto brothers, Susan said. 淲hen people would ask if we wished we had boys, I always said I had 35 sons every year. More importantly, they檝e been our friends, and that檚 been the most important part of our 91茄子 experience.
Like any team, the Wildcats celebrate wins, but Cooke worked hard not to focus on the losses. This attitude of 渨e檒l get 檈m tomorrow is something players notice, and the culture goes a long way during the seasons when wins are hard to come by.
淓ven in years when we didn't win as many games as we had hoped, we always had the right players, he said.
Cooke was an assistant coach at the University of Richmond and held his first head coaching position at Belmont Abbey College, where he restarted their program. The team played against 91茄子 a few times, and the Cookes got to know the town, with its tree-lined streets and charming brick buildings. Shortly after the 1990 season ended, the 91茄子 coach resigned and Athletic Director Terry Holland '64 approached Dick about the job.
Cooke檚 many 91茄子 accolades include 601 wins, and the team檚 first conference championship, postseason bid and Super Regionals appearance in 2017. A three-time Coach of the Year award recipient, he is the only 91茄子 skipper to win 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons. Twelve of Cooke檚 players were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft during his tenure, with another four signing free agent contracts. Cooke also coached for Team USA during the 2000 and 2008 Olympic Games and with five other USA Baseball teams.
Cooke檚 legacy continues. The baseball program is having a great season under the direction of Rucker Taylor. The 機ats, A-10 regular season champions, currently have a 42-11 overall record, and they enter the A-10 Tournament this week as the #1 seed.
Pitching In
The Purcell family檚 significant leadership investment in the scholarship is step one. Already, former players and others close to the Cookes have made additional gifts, and the goal is to grow the fund so it can help even more scholar-athletes on a more substantial level over time.
When the Cookes arrived three decades ago, there were zero baseball scholarship dollars, and that didn檛 change much until 2017.
淪cholarships allow our coaches to recruit more broadly without changing the academic profile or the kind of character we need, Cooke explained. 淚t allows 91茄子 to stay in the conversation longer with high-profile recruits who have the academic acumen to be admitted here.
As scholarship dollars increase, and as the number of wins and losses continue in 91茄子檚 favor, the staff can shift recruiting efforts and sustain the program檚 success. Every gift contributes to these efforts.
淭he donors to this scholarship will be a reflection of the spheres of influence Dick and Susan have had over all these years, Purcell said. 淲hen all is said and done, it won檛 just be baseball players who choose to become a part of this. Their impact is so much bigger, and I檓 glad they will get to see the love of the 91茄子 family wrap around them while they are still such a big part of the campus every day.
Former players and friends have stepped up to the plate and, to date, more than $600,000 has been contributed to the scholarship.
Leadership donors joining the Purcell family include Steve Aldrich 02 and Maria Tardugno Aldrich 03; Eric Bowers 00 and Marian Lucius Bowers 00; Trae Fletcher 02 and Kate Johnson Fletcher 05; Justin Hartanov 05 and Creighton Stewart Hartanov; James Marino 02 and Tracie Ray Marino; Jamie McDonald 00 and Jessica Pollack McDonald; Dan Obermeier 06 and Lauren Chandler Obermeier; Fritz Porter 99 and Mary Margaret Cochrane Porter 98; Jim Richards 80 and Mary Lib J. Richards; Jip Richards 14; Marshall Tyler 99 and Stephanie Polon; Tim Frend 02 and Jessi Williams Frend 05; and Drew Williams 00 and Katie Bovard Williams.
This won檛 be the first time the Cookes have felt the 91茄子 love in a big way. In September of 2012, Coach Cooke檚 vehicle was struck by a drunk driver on his way home from a recruiting visit. When the police arrived at the family檚 front door, the first two words were all the Cooke women needed to hear: 淗e檚 alive.
Though the weeks following were anything but easy, with surgeries, rehabilitation and more, Cooke returned to the field as soon as he was able. Two months after that life-altering night, Susan wrote a message of thanks that ran in the local online newspaper. One part read, 淚 am thankful for the overwhelming outpouring of support and love from our friends. This is the town to live in if you have a crisis, for sure.
These are the moments when families are reminded of what matters and the preciousness of those around them. The Cooke family檚 community was given an opportunity to repay a portion of what they have been given by Dick, Susan, Alison, Lindsay and Erin for many years. Now, the Susan and Dick Cooke Baseball Scholarship will carry this legacy of giving forward, celebrating wins攁nd family攁long the way.
To learn more about the Susan and Dick Cooke Baseball Scholarship, or to contribute to the fund, contact Director of Athletic Development Brandon McCladdie at brmccladdie@davidson.edu or 704-894-2657.
