Bob Marlin became only the second coach in the history of the Southland Conference to post 200 coaching victories as he guided Sam Houston to the Southland Conference West Division championship in 2009. In 11 seasons as Bearkat head men’s basketball coach, Marlin has produced an overall record of 200 victories and 123 losses -- more victories than any other Southland Conference member during that time span.

Mike Vining, head coach at Louisiana-Monroe from 1983-2005 and the man who gave Marlin his first coaching job, compiled a 383-291 record from 1983 to 2005, to rank as the league's winningest head coach.

Since 2000, Sam Houston State has become the dominate team not only in the Southland Conference but in Texas. Only one of the 20 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams in Texas (the UT Longhorns) has won more games than Sam Houston. Texas has won 248 games, followed by Sam Houston 190, Texas Tech and UTEP 176 and Texas A&M 166.

Inheriting a program that had not finished higher than sixth in the league and posted only two double digit victory seasons in more than a decade, Marlin has directed the Kats to five 20-plus victory seasons (22-7 in 2000, 23-7 in 2003, 22-9 in 2006, 21-10 in 2007 and 23-8 in 2008) and double digit wins in each of his 11 years as head coach. Sam Houston has averaged more than 20 wins a season during the past four years.

Bob Marlin is interviewed on CBS TV during halftime of the 2003 NCAA Playoff game in Tampa, FL

Twice Marlin has earned Southland Conference "Coach of the Year" honors - in 2000 after directing the Kats to their first Southland Conference championship and in 2003 after Sam Houston’s second title in four years.

Sam Houston has finished among the league's top three teams six of the last seven years including a championship in 2003 and runner-up finishes in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

In 16 seasons as a head coach, Marlin has produced a record of 323 victories and 157 losses. He rolled up a 123-35 record as head coach at Pensacola Junior College. In 1993, he was National Junior College "Coach of the Year" after directing Pensacola to the NJCAA National Championship. Marlin has served as an assistant coach at Alabama, Marshall, Houston Baptist, and Louisiana-Monroe.

Since Marlin took over the Bearkat program, the Bearkats have produced more non-conference intersectional victories than any other Southland Conference team. Sam Houston stands 68-47 in non-league play under Marlin. Sam Houston State’s 12-1 non-conference record in 2007-08 was the university’s best NCAA Division I non-conference record and equals the most regular season non-conference wins for a Southland Conference team since 1991.

Marlin received National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) "Coach of the Year" honors in 1993 following Pensacola’s national title (the first ever for a Florida junior college). Marlin won 100 games at Pensacola faster than any coach in school history. Twenty-seven of his players at Pensacola received scholarships to play at four-year schools.

Marlin was inducted into the Florida Junior College Hall of Fame in March, 2007.

As a head coach, Marlin has coached an NBA draft pick, one NJCAA National Player of the Year, one NJCAA Student-Athlete of the Year, two Southland Conference "Players of the Year," two SLC "Newcomers of the Year," one SLC "Freshman of the Year," two SLC "Student Athletes of the Year", four All-Americans, 34 All-Conference selections, four Academic All-Americans, and 27 Academic All-Conference student-athletes.

As an assistant coach, Marlin helped guide the Alabama Crimson Tide to the 1996 National Invitational Final Four. Working under Dana Altman (now Creighton University head coach) at Marshall in 1989-90, he helped direct the Thundering Herd to a runner-up finish in the Southern Conference. From 1984 to 1989, Marlin served as assistant coach at Houston Baptist. The Huskies earned an NCAA Division I tournament berth in 1984 and finished among the top three teams in the TransAmerica Conference four times.

While serving as a graduate assistant at Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) under former Indian Head Coach Mike Vining, Marlin coached the junior varsity and was scouting director for an NLU squad that won the TransAmerica Conference championship and earned an NCAA post-season tournament berth in 1982.

Born in Tupelo, MS, Marlin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Mississippi State in 1981. He earned his Masters in Health and Physical Education (with a minor in guidance and counseling) from Northeast Louisiana in 1983. He has a son, Matt.

BOB MARLIN BULLET POINTS

* Second winningest coach in Southland Conference history (200 victories)
* Winningest coach in Sam Houston basketball history
* Bearkats are the winningest team in the SLC during his 11 seasons as Sam Houston head coach
* SHSU’s 190 victories since the 1999-2000 season rank Bearkats as the second winningest NCAA Division I team in Texas in the 21st century (trailing only the UT Longhorns)
* Guided Sam Houston to Southland Conference regular season titles in 2000 and 2003
* Sam Houston and the Texas Longhorns are the only teams to win two conference titles in the past eight years out of the 20 NCAA Division I squads in the state
* Coached the Bearkats to their first NCAA Division I playoff appearance (2003)
* Led Sam Houston to five 20-win seasons (2000, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008)
* Only the third head coach in SLC history to post three consecutive 20-win seasons
* Posted the best non-conference record in the Southland Conference during the past 11 years,winning 68 of 115 non-league contests (.591 winning percentage)
*  2007 Florida Junior College Hall of Fame inductee
* 2006 Collegeinsider.com Hugh Durham Award national finalist
* 2000 and 2003 Southland Conference Coach of the Year
* 1993 National Junior Coach of the Year
* 1993 NJCAA National Champions

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT SAM HOUSTON STATE

* First Southland Conference Championship (1999-2000)
* Second Southland Conference Championship (2002-2003)
* First NCAA Division I national tournament appearance (2002-2003)
* First NCAA Division I Preseason National Invitational Tournament appearance (2005-2006)
* Most NCAA Division I victories in one season - 23 (2002-2003)
* Most Southland Conference victories - 17 (2000-2003)
* Most NCAA Division I road victories - 11 (1999-2000)
* Only six Southland Conference Post-Season Tournament victories (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2006)
* Highest RPI ranking - 28 (December 20, 2001)
* Highest Final RPI ranking - 91 (March 25, 2003)
* Best NCAA Division I non-league record - 9-3 (2005-06)
* Longest SHSU NCAA Division I winning streak - 10 games (2002-2003)
* Second most improved program in NCAA (ranked by winning percentage) (1999-2000)
* Fourth best RPI of the 20 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams in Texas (2000, 2003)
* Fifth best RPI of the 20 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams in Texas (2006)
* Sixth best RPI of the 20 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams in Texas (2007)
* Teams have broken 30 NCAA Division I school records (12 game & 18 season)
* Players have broken 23 school records (seven individual game, eight individual season, eight career)

MARLIN'S BASKETBALL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
DURING HIS COACHING CAREER

* Coached NJCAA "Player of the Year"
* Coached two NJCAA All-Americans
* Coached 34 All-Conference players
* Coached NJCAA "Student-Athlete of the Year"
* Coached three Academic All-Americans
* Coached 24 Academic All-Conference players
* Coached SHSU's first NCAA Division I All-American
* Coached two Southland Conference "Players of the Year"
* Coached two Southland Conference "Newcomers of the Year"
* Coached two Southland Conference "Student Athletes of the Year "
* Coached one Southland Conference "Freshman of the Year"

* 2006 Collegeinside.com Hugh Durham Award national finalist
* 2003 Southland Conference Champions
* 2003 Southland Conference Tournament Champions
* 2003 NCAA Division I Tournament participant
* 2003 Southland Conference Coach of the Year
* 2005 Preseason NIT quarterfinals
* 2000 Southland Conference Champions
* 2000 Southland Conference Coach of the Year
* 1993 NJCAA National Champions
* 1993 NJCAA National Coach of the Year
* 1993 Kodak / NABC National Coach of the Year
* 1993 FCCAA / Region VIII Coach of the Year
* 1993 Basketball Times Coach of the Year
* 1993 Basketball Weekly Coach of the Year