CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Tim Eckberg, a former men’s golf student-athlete and alum of Western Carolina University, was named its head men’s golf coach by WCU Director of Athletics Randy Eaton on Wednesday. Eckberg played two seasons for the Catamounts and ranks 20th on the program’s career scoring average chart.
Eckberg replaces former men’s golf coach Bryant Odom, who took over at nationally ranked Kennesaw State in late July. He is the fifth head coach of the Catamount men’s golf program since 1991.
“We are absolutely thrilled about Tim Eckberg joining our athletics staff as the next head coach of our men’s golf program,” said Associate Athletic Director Gorham Bradley, who spearheaded the search committee. “Coach Eckberg’s commitment to student-athlete leadership and development, as well as his proven success in building a championship-level golf program, is exactly what we are looking for in our head men’s golf coach. His passion for coaching the game of golf and love for WCU made him a perfect fit to rejoin the Catamount family.”
Eckberg returns to Cullowhee after two years as both the head men’s and women’s golf coach at NAIA-member Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wis. The first-ever coach at the small Wisconsin school, Eckberg was charged with creating and building both of the golf programs from the ground up.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to return to Western Carolina University and coach the program that I love at the university that I love,” said Eckberg. “I want to first thank the staff at Cardinal Stritch University, and specifically President James Loftus, Athletic Director Dr. Tim Van Alstine, and former Athletic Director Pat Clemens. They gave me an incredible opportunity at Stritch, and I'm forever grateful for everything that they did for me. I also want to thank all of my former players for the hard work and dedication they gave to me and to that program. I have no doubt that it will continue to be a special golf program moving forward.”
He added, “I want to thank Director of Athletics Randy Eaton and Associate Athletic Director Gorham Bradley for allowing me this opportunity. They, along with everyone in the Catamount family, have been amazing during this process, and made me feel at home during the interview. Each of them made me realize, once again, why WCU is such a special place. I'm excited to be back in the mountains and leading this program to do special things in the future."
During the inaugural season for the men’s program in 2013-14, Eckberg led the Wolves to a second-place finish at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament and an 18th-place overall showing at the NAIA Championship. During that first year, Stritch recorded team wins at the Spring Eagle Open and Iowa Intercollegiate Championship, posting nine top 10 team finishes.
In the second year of the Eckberg-led program, the Wolves won four tournaments as a part of placing inside the top 10 in each of the team’s 12 regular-season events, including winning the CCAC Men’s Golf Championship. Cardinal Stritch went on to place 14th at the national NAIA Championship held in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Over the first two years of the program at Cardinal Stritch, three players garnered all-region plaudits, with Justin Doeden earning two NAIA All-America honors in 2014-15.
During this tenure, Eckberg twice brought his Cardinal Stritch squad to Western North Carolina for WCU’s home tournament, the Hummingbird Intercollegiate hosted at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley. After finishing 10th in the 10-team field in 2013 as a start-up program, Eckberg guided his squad to a fourth-place finish in the 12-team field at the weather-shortened 2014 Hummingbird Intercollegiate.
Prior to embarking on his coaching career at Cardinal Stritch, Eckberg played professionally out of Orlando, Fla., for six years. He competed on a variety of tours throughout the Southeast, tallying five professional victories.
Originally from Walnut, Ill., Eckberg played two years for the Catamounts from 2002-04, twice earning the title of team captain, team most valuable player and Southern Conference All-Academic. All told, he led the Catamount men’s golf squad in eight events during his two years in Cullowhee, posting four top-five finishes. Eckberg garnered the Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week honors after winning the 2003 Sea Trail Intercollegiate Tournament, firing a two-round score of 2-under 142 in becoming just the seventh player since 1984 to win an event for WCU.
Eckberg played two years of golf at Illinois Valley Community College before transferring to Western Carolina under then-head coach Johnny Wike. He was named first team all-conference as a sophomore, recording a runner-up finish at the conference championship and a 19th-place result at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championship.
Eckberg inherits a roster that returns three upperclassmen in seniors Tyler Lail and Taylor Durand as well as junior Evan Smith. The Catamounts, who open the fall portion of their season in late September, also have two talented sophomores in Jackson Bishop and Bright Julamool, as well as an incoming freshman class of four – Bradley Durand, Mark David Johnson, Lawson King and Alex Lee.