Bob Dewey
American basketball player, coach, and administrator
About Bob Dewey
Robert James Dewey (October 24, 1920 β February 18, 1988) was an American basketball player, coach, and administrator who was the head coach at Western Reserve (1950β1955) and Colgate (1962β1964) and athletic director at the University of Rochester (1966β1973).
Playing Dewey was born in Oswego, New York and graduated from Oswego High School in 1940. He enrolled at Colgate University that fall, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. He served as an infantry platoon leader with the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific Theater. He returned to Colgate in 1942 and played two seasons for the Raiders men's basketball team. He was the team's captain and leading scorer during the 1942β43 season. He teamed with fellow Marine Bobby Wanzer the following season. He held the school's career scoring record until he was passed by Ernie Vandeweghe.
Dewey was a member of the Utica Olympics of the New York State Professional Basketball League during the 1946β47 season. He was the team's second leading scorer (behind Paul Anthony), averaging 13.7 points per game. Utica defeated the Cohoes Mastodons three games to none to win the league title.
Coaching Dewey began his coaching career in 1947 at Irving Preparatory School in Tarrytown, New York. He was the school's athletic director, football, baseball, and basketball coach, and taught Latin. In his five seasons as basketball coach, Dewey accumulated a 24β89 record. In 1962, Dewey returned to the sidelines as head coach of Colgate's varsity basketball team. The Raiders went 5β13 in 1962β63 and 7β16 in 1963β64. He resigned on October 15, 1964 to go into private business.
Administration In May 1965, Dewey was appointed director of student services at Bowling Green State University. In 1966, he was named athletic director at the University of Rochester. He was fired in 1973, but remained with the school as a professor of physical education. He retired in 1974 and remained in Rochester, New York until his death on February 18, 1988.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Bob Dewey?
American basketball player, coach, and administrator (1920β1988)
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bob Dewey. https://biography.guide/bob-dewey/
MLA: "Bob Dewey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bob-dewey/.
Chicago: "Bob Dewey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bob-dewey/.
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