Jim Cook was appointed the Men’s Soccer Head Coach at Roger Williams University in 1990. In only his second year he led the Hawks to the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship. In the spring of 1993 he moved to the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth where he stayed for three years. In the 1994 season he was named Little East Conference Coach of the Year.
The opportunity to return to Roger Williams University presented itself in 1996 when Cook was hired as the Director of Intramurals and Recreation. In 1997, the University offered him the soccer head coaching position again. That same year, the team advanced to the conference semifinal game. The following year, the team made it to the championship game of the conference.
Over the next twelve seasons the Hawks won six TCCC championships (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006). They also won two ECAC New England championships in 2002 and 2003. In those eight consecutive championship years the Hawks produced an overall record of 131–38–15. The Commonwealth Coast Conference has honored Cook as Coach of the Year five times since 1998, including last being recognized in 2012.
The 1999 squad became the first team in school history to qualify for the Division III NCAA National Championship tournament. In October 2012, the team was inducted into the inaugural Roger Williams University Athletic Hall of Fame as the first team in any sport inducted. The Hawks qualified twice more in 2000 and 2001, where they advanced to the New England Regional semifinals. In 2004 and 2005, they advanced to the second round of the NCAA national tournament. In 2006, the team qualified again, falling in penalty kicks in the first round. In 2012, the team advanced to the finals of the ECAC Division III New England Championships. They returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 for the seventh time in the past 13 years. The 2013 squad finished the season ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
Cook graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1967. At URI, he played for four years and served as team captain his senior year, in addition to four years on the baseball team. In 1973 he started the boy’s soccer program at Tiverton High School (R.I.) where he won two state championships, numerous league and county titles, and two “Coach of the Year” awards. In 1989 he was inducted into the Rhode Island Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame and in 1995 was inducted into the New England Hall of Fame.
Cook has an Advanced National Coaching Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, where he has served as an associate staff coach. He also holds licenses from United States Soccer, and is a former coach with the Rhode Island Olympic Development Program.
In his 22 years of coaching at Roger Williams University, Coach Cook’s program has produced seven All-Americans, one Academic All-American, 37 All-New England, 18 Academic All-New England, and 114 All-Conference selections. Coach Cook’s overall career coaching record of 477-267-112 includes his 22-year record of 293-132-43 while at Roger Williams University, 22-24-5 at UMass-Dartmouth, and 162-111-64 as a high school coach. Cook also recorded his 300th collegiate win in October 2013.
Currently, he serves as the Director of Club Sports at the University, to go along with his soccer coaching responsibilities.
