UP FRONT
Standing before St. Andrew’s ballplayers past and present, Bob Colburn addresses his dedicated fans and supporters, garnered over 45 years of coaching, teaching and advising.
Bob Colburn retires after 45 years of service On Saturday, May 7, 2005, St. Andrew’s and Tower Hill played another game in a rivalry that extends back to the beginning of St. Andrew’s history. However, Saturday’s game marked another anniversary, one extending nearly as far back in St. Andrew’s history— the retirement of St. Andrew’s chemistry teacher, senior master, baseball coach, football coach and athletic director, Bob Colburn, who this year also celebrates his forty-fifth year at the school. As generations of Colburn’s students, athletes and fellow coaches looked on, St. Andrew’s headmaster Tad Roach, and board of trustees president J. Kent Sweezey ’70 announced the naming of the baseball field "Colburn Field" and unveiled the scoreboard, which now displays the new name. Alumni and trustees also announced that upon Colburn’s retirement the St. Andrew’s director of athletics will hold a new endowed chair, the Colburn Director of Athletics Chair, created through the gifts made in Colburn’s honor by St. Andrew’s alumni and coaches who have competed with Colburn over the years. Colburn’s wife and partner in St. Andrew’s life for 45 8 SUMMER 2005
years, Dorothy, threw out the honorary first pitch for the game. His three children, Rob ’80, Bruce ’82 and Clair ’87, were also in attendance. Colburn has played a significant role in Delaware baseball and was a member of the first class inducted into Delaware’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. Colburn was selected Delaware Coach of the Year four times. He also has served for eight years on the executive board of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association and was elected its president in 2004. He represents Delaware on the National Ranking Committee, serves on the board of the Carpenter Cup Baseball Tournament and is president of the Delaware State Baseball Tournament Committee. During his career at St. Andrew’s, Colburn has been most often noted for developing a program that focused on sportsmanship above all. Colburn’s work in this area was recognized when his baseball team received an award for a decade of great sportsmanship in 2004. Statewide sportsmanship awards have been given to six St. Andrew’s teams during his tenure as athletic director.
