University of Toledo Vice President and Athletic Director Mike O’Brien yesterday announced the hiring of former Indiana assistant Jamie Broce as the Rockets’ head men’s golf coach.
Broce
Broce, who played golf at Ball State, was a touring professional for nine years before coaching at Indiana under Head Coach Mike Mayer for the past four seasons.
“I’m very excited to become the head coach of the Rockets,” Broce said. “Toledo has such a great golfing heritage, both at UT and in the community. When I was in school, Toledo had a terrific program, one of the best in the MAC. I’m looking forward to working with the players who are there now and developing the program in the years to come. There is a great opportunity for success at UT, and I can’t wait to get started.”
“We are very fortunate to have Jamie join our staff,” O’Brien said. “Jamie has an impressive golf background, both as a player and as a teacher of the game. His experience at Indiana and as a private instructor will greatly benefit our men’s golf program. We look forward to welcoming Jamie into the Rocket family.”
In Broce’s four seasons at Indiana, the Hoosiers compiled an impressive track record. The past season, they finished in second place at the Big Ten Championships and advanced to the NCAA Regionals, where they finished in ninth place. The squad also received special academic recognition from NCAA for finishing in the top 10 percent in the country in Academic Progress Rate.
In 2011, Indiana picked up four tournament titles, as well as nine finishes in the top five. The Hoosiers collected team titles at the Renaissance Intercollegiate and the Adidas Hoosier Invitational in 2010, as well as three other top-five team finishes.
During his first season, the Hoosiers cracked the national top-10 rankings for much of the year, ascending as high as No. 4 in the country. The Hoosiers also won two team titles that season, winning the inaugural Big Ten Match Play Championship and Adidas Hoosier Invitational, an event IU won by a whopping 27 strokes over the second place team.
Broce garnered three top-four finishes while playing on the Nationwide Tour from 2005 to 2007. He also has professional golf experience on the NGA Hooters Tour (2002-04, 2008). In 2000, Broce qualified and played in the PGA Greater Milwaukee Open.
He played collegiate golf at Ball State, earning both the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and Sportsman of the Year Awards as a senior in 1999. Additional accolades for Broce include Academic All-America (1998-99), NCAA All-America Third Team (1999) and the Ben Hogan Award in 1998 (awarded to the nation’s top golf scholar-athlete). He captained the Cardinal golf team for three years en route to winning six college tournaments.
A co-founder of the Blair/Broce Junior Golf Academy in LaPorte, Ind., Broce has several years of golf instruction experience. He has served as an instructor at golf clinics hosted by the Nationwide and NGA Hooters Tours, as well as private golf lessons.
Broce and his wife, Darci, have a daughter, Peyton (12), and a son, Preston (9).
