Bob Flynn accepts induction into the Bates Scholar-Athlete Society from presenter Vic Otley on May 30, 2015. (Daryn Slover)
In honoring Professor Emeritus Robert C. Flynn, we recognize the wonderful qualities Bob embodies. Throughout his career, Bob has remained deeply committed to the learning and development of students. He has supported athletes as they worked to balance the full range of college experiences, encouraging them to participate in all Bates had to offer. Most of all, he has assisted Bates students in challenging themselves.
Prior to joining the Bates staff, Professor Flynn coached at the University of Maine at Orono, Bridgton High School, Thornton Academy, and at both Lewiston and Edward Little high schools. A Korean War veteran, Coach Flynn also had a professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball organization.
Coach Flynn was named the head skiing coach at Bates in 1968, a post he held until 1990. As ski coach, he was instrumental in the Bobcats’ move to Division I competition in 1972 and in bringing the 1976 NCAA Ski Championship to Maine. In addition to his time as ski coach, Bob spent nine seasons as Bates’ head baseball coach. He continues to lead and mentor student-athletes as the head coach of Bates men’s and women’s golf teams, a position he has held for 17 years, and as the assistant coach of baseball and Nordic skiing.
With over 50 years of coaching experience, Coach Flynn's professional achievements and his commitment to the college and its students have been recognized by numerous organizations. He has been inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, the Maine Skiing Hall of Fame, and the Lewiston/Auburn Sports Hall of Fame. A former president of the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) and chair of the NCAA Skiing Rules Committee, he received the EISA Service Award for his “significant contribution and continuing support of skiing in the United States.” The American Baseball Coaches Association honored him for his nearly half-century of leadership, and the Collegiate Baseball Umpire Association gave him Maine’s Al Card Sportsmanship Award. He has also been named the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Coaches Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year, and the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association has recognized him for outstanding achievement. In addition, Bob has earned the Bates College Athletic Department Service Award.
Coach Flynn has spent a lifetime encouraging student-athletes to pursue excellence in the classroom and in athletics. Known for his genuine caring and wit, he has encouraged and enabled hundreds of Bates athletes to gain skills and confidence and embody leadership and responsibility.
In recognition of his outstanding career as a coach, and for his dedication, leadership and commitment to academics and athletics, it is an honor to offer membership in the Bates Scholar-Athlete Society to Coach Bob Flynn.
