Robert “Bob” Goin

Bob Goin, family man, hall of fame athletic administrator, coach, visionary and mentor, died suddenly on Oct. 12, 2019, from complications of a heart attack in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Bob was an amazing husband to his wife of 62 years, Nancy (Glasstetter); father of four children, Doug (Carol), Brian (Marshia), Janice (Charlie) Lowe and Bruce (Whitney); grandfather to Nicole, Robert, Andrew, Zachary, Mathew and JD; and great-grandfather to Madison, Gage, Bella, Kain, Autumn and Sofia.
He was coach, director or role model to hundreds of former players and students at Bethany College, West Virginia University, Florida State University and the University of Cincinnati.
Bob’s story started on Oct. 3, 1936, born to Joseph and Ludie Goin, in Gary Ind. He was the youngest of eight children (Mary Bouque, Louise Paul, Virgil Goin, Georgianne Maretich, Jomarie Kowalenko, Pam Grieco and Frank Goin) with all of whom he is now reunited.
At the age of 12, he moved to Verona, Pa., where he became an accomplished football, basketball and baseball player at Penn Hills, Pa., high school until his graduation in 1955. He was twice named Athlete of the Year and he is a member of the Penn Hills High School Sports Hall of Fame. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and a first generation college student graduating with a BS in sociology from Bethany College in 1959, followed by a master’s degree in higher education from West Virginia University.
While a student at Bethany, he was a two-sport standout and team captain in football and basketball. He returned to Bethany as an assistant football coach in 1960 and served as the head football coach from 1963-72, where his teams won conference championships in 1965 and 1966, with the 1966 team going undefeated. He continues as the winningest coach in Bethany football history.
During his time at Bethany he coached baseball, winning conference championships in 1965 and 1969, and was athletic director and head of the physical education department until leaving Bethany in 1975. He is a member of the Bethany College Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 1991 and was the recipient of the Bethany College Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award.
During his tenure at Bethany, he was honored in 1966 as the Tri-State coach of the year by the Pittsburgh Curbstone Coaches Association and Honored by the Post-Gazette Dapper Dan Club for outstanding achievement in college football in 1966. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and in 2005 was included in the inaugural class of the Phi Kappa Tau Hall of Fame. He also served on the college’s Board of Trustees. He always referred to Bethany College as “his college.”
He served as assistant athletic director at West Virginia University and athletic director at California State University, Pa., between 1975 and 1981. In 1981, he began a 14-year stint at Florida State University — nine years (1981-89) as associate athletic director and five years (1990-94) as athletic director. In 1991, he spearheaded the Seminoles’ entry into the Atlantic Coast Conference. His vision included expansion of Doak Campbell Stadium by adding over 20,000 seats, adding classrooms to the buildings wrapped around the stadium and the completion of The Coyle E. Moore Athletics Center.
During his tenure, the Seminoles earned their first national football championship and first Heisman Trophy winner in 1993. From 1997, until his retirement in 2005, he proudly served the University of Cincinnati as its athletic director. His leadership and vision led to the creation of the Richard E. Linder Varsity Village and the Bearcats entry into the Big East Conference.
During his service to the university, the Bearcats football team participated in its first bowl game in over 50 years. In 2002, he received The General Robert R. Neyland Lifetime Achievement Award from the All-American Football Foundation. The Bob Goin Team Meeting Room at the University of Cincinnati was dedicated in November 2005 and he is a member of the University of Cincinnati Athletic Hall of Fame. During his athletic administration career, he served on the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet and the NCAA Football Bowl Certification Subcommittee.
After his retirement, he lived in Ponte Vedra Beach, near family and friends. He was an active member of the Ponte Vedra United Methodist Church. In 2015, he was honored to be inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. With all of his accomplishments and time in the spotlight, his lasting legacy is how he served as the wind beneath the wings of his family and others whose lives he touched as a teammate, coach, leader, mentor and friend.
Memorial services will be held at Bethany College at 2 p.m. Nov. 10, and at 2 p.m. Ponte Vedra United Methodist Church on Nov. 23. He will be interred at Ponte Vedra Valley Cemetery in a private service at a later time. Bethany College has established the Bob Goin Scholarship Fund to honor him.
The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Bethany College, 31 E. Campus Drive, Bethany, WV 26032, with the Bob Goin Scholarship Fund indicated in the comment section of the check or online donation.