Colorado Buffaloes Golf CampCoach Roy Edwards
303.492.4653 office phoneroy.edwards@colorado.edu
Roy Edwards, is in his fourth season as head coach of the University of Colorado men’s golf team, just the third full-time men’s golf coach in Buffalo history. He was named to the position on July 14, 2006, following in the footsteps of the only two coaches the program had ever known over a span of six decades.
Edwards, 33, came to CU with an impressive pedigree, joining the Buffaloes from his alma mater, the University of Kansas, where he had served as the assistant for both the men’s and women’s programs for the previous four years (2002-06). He held the same position at Vanderbilt University for a year prior to returning to KU. Edwards replaced the late Mark Simpson, who passed away from complications due to lung cancer in December 2005. Simpson had held the post since 1977, when he followed in the footsteps of his college head coach, Les Fowler. Fowler took over as player-coach in 1948 and remained on board until Simpson, his assistant, replaced him. Thus, Edwards is only the program’s third full-time head coach since 1948. "Coach Fowler and Coach Simpson have built an extremely proud legacy at the University of Colorado,” Edwards said. “It’s a privilege to follow them at CU, which is truly one of the great institutions in the world and it is an honor to be named its head men's golf coach.”
It took less than three years for Edwards to put his stamp on the CU golf program, perhaps in no bigger way than completing the dream of his two predecessors. One of the few major golf programs in the nation without its own true home golf course and facilities, Edwards played an integral part in working with Colorado alum Steve Kerr in the latter’s acquisition of Vista Ridge Golf Club in Erie in early 2009. The club officially became Colorado National Golf Club in March of 2009 and now serves as the official home for the university’s men’s and women’s golf teams. He also initiated the Colorado Partners program, a group that has quickly grown to 80 members who contribute financially to augment the school’s golf budget, and established the Mark Simpson Colorado Golf Day which is an annual celebration and fundraiser for CU golf.
On the course, the team has steadily improved under his leadership. His third Buffalo team sported one of the nation’s dynamic duos in Patrick Grady and Derek Tolan, as each won two tournaments and combined for 14 top 10 finishes. But the team was also balanced as a whole, with 32 top 20 performances posted by seven different golfers, and recorded a 74.06 stroke average, second lowest in school history (topped only by 73.77 in 2003-04). The Buffs posted 11 top 10 finishes in major tournaments, the second-most in school history that included a record-tying seven in the top five, and highlighted by a 34- stroke win in the DU-Ron Moore and three runner-up finishes in the USF Olympic Club, Western Intercollegiate and its own CUStevinson Ranch Invitational.
In earning a fourth straight trip to the NCAA’s, in the Big 12 Championships, the Buffs posted their best conference finish in 28 years when they took second place; it tied for the largest improvement from one season to another in Big 12 history after finishing 10th in 2008 (CU moved from 11th to 3rd from 1997 to 1998 as did Missouri on one occasion). The Buffs were in the hunt for the title until the back nine of the fourth and final round, when Oklahoma State finally was able to get some distance and eventually won by 14 shots. Edwards’ first CU team had moderate success, and finished 11th in the Big 12 Championships; while that was disappointing, his team did something that neither Fowler’s or Simpson’s did, qualify for the NCAA Championships (though in fairness, more teams are invited today than when they coached, but it still was an impressive accomplishment). The team placed 20th in the NCAA Central Regional.
His second team, in 2007-08, became just the third in school history to win two major tournaments in the same season, as the Buffs won the Louisiana Classics and the Ohio State Kepler Intercollegiate. The Buffs finished 10th in the Big 12 meet, which moved to a 72-hole format for the first time, and was again invited to the NCAA’s, placing 18th in the Central Regional. Junior Derek Tolan was one of two individuals to advance out of the regional into the finals, the first Buff to do so since 1993.
At Kansas, he was heavily involved in recruiting and the dayto- day functions for both the men’s and women’s teams, managed the Jayhawks’ Birdie Club and was the main contact for both golf camps. A KU graduate, he returned to his alma mater in August 2002 as the assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s programs and further developed all the skills necessary to one day become a head coach. He coordinated and managed a $1 million-plus fundraising campaign for KU’s golf practice facility, founded and coordinated the annual booster club program, oversaw program communications, budgeting, alumni-parent relations and condition programs, and cording all aspects of official and unofficial visits for the recruiting process, including prospect evaluation and communication. He also was designated as the head coach on numerous occasions, including for 2003 and 2004 NCAA regional play.
He was one of three finalists for the 2004 Golf Coaches Association of America Assistant Coach of the Year, named for Jan Strickland. The award is given to the NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA assistant coach who has excelled in working with their student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom. During his time at Kansas, he helped coach six first-team All- Big 12 players (five men, one woman) and four Academic All-Americans. He started his coaching career as a volunteer/graduate assistant in 1998, working three years in that capacity before moving on to Vanderbilt for his first fulltime assistant coaching position. During this time, he was also the Junior Golf Director for the Kansas Golf Association, running all activities for over 600 junior members of the KGA.
He was the assistant for both the men’s and women’s teams at Vanderbilt from May 2001 until returning to his alma mater the following year. At Vandy, he headed the Commodore Golf Day and the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate Golf Championships, and was involved in Commodore recruiting as well as the day-to-day practice and traveling schedules. He was a part of history as both teams experienced two of the best seasons in the programs' existence the 2001-02 academic year, and had a hand in coaching a pair of first-team All-Southeastern Conference players, including Brandt Snedeker, a first-team All-American, the 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and third place finisher in the 2008 Masters.
Between KU and Vanderbilt, he coached five players who attained some level of All-American status, ranging from firstteam to honorable mention. A three-year member of the Jayhawk golf team, he lettered as a senior under legendary and long-time coach Ross Randall and earned his bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Kansas in 2000. Simultaneously while finishing his degree, he worked as a volunteer assistant coach for the men’s team. His career playing highlights include being named the PGA Midwest Section Player of the Year in 1995 and the Heart of America Four-Ball champion in 1997. As a student, he was also heavily involved on KU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and held several leadership roles on campus. Simpson and Randall were good friends, and their teams would cross paths during the regular season four or five on the average before the league championships. Not including his year at Vanderbilt, Edwards was with the Jayhawks for 56 tournaments as a player or assistant coach since 1996 that the two schools were in the same field, aiding his familiarity with the CU program.
Born October 14, 1976 in Kansas City, Mo., but truly a native of Hutchinson, Kan., he was a four-year letterman in golf at Hutchinson (Kan.) High School under legendary Kansas high school coach Rusty Hilst, one of his early mentors in the game. His hobbies include playing golf, cooking and traveling, and he was also an Eagle Scout in high school. His father, R.A., is a distinguished KU alum who was awarded the 2002 Fred Ellsworth Medallion for "unique and significant service to the university" (which two grandparents also earned). An uncle, Ray Evans, is recognized as one of the greatest athletes in KU history, as he was a two-time All-American in basketball (1942-43) and was KU's first football All-American after returning from World War II in 1947.
Edwards is married to the former Shelly Bonfantine of Albuquerque, N.M., as they wed on July 7, 2007 (07-07-07); she is a former golfer at the University of New Mexico. They are the parents of one son, Austin Ross (born last June 3).