Adam Decker Position: Head Coach Experience: 5th Season Alma Mater: Penn State '97

Email: adecker@richmond.edu
Phone: 804-266-7810

Richmond men's golf coach Adam Decker inherited a young squad in his first-year as a head coach, but that didn't stop the former All-American from guiding the Spiders to their first NCAA appearance in five years.

Decker was named Virginia State Coach of the Year after leading the Spiders to a fourth-place finish in the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championships and a spot as one of a record five Atlantic 10 teams to earn NCAA bids.

The Spiders finished the 2005-06 season ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Playing with a lineup of three sophomores and a freshman, Richmond also won two tournament titles, taking first in the Big 5 Invitational and Towson's Drew Upton Memorial.

In Decker's second season, Richmond finished in the top-5 in five tournaments and the top-10 in eight of 11 events. The Spiders took fourth at the Atlantic 10 Championship for the second-straight year.

In 2007-08, Decker led the Spiders to a pair of runner-up finishes at the Frank Landry Invitational and the Georgetown Invitational. The Spiders had two individual medalists, one individual runner-up and finished fifth at the Atlantic 10 Championship.

In 2008-09, the Spiders posted four top-5 finishes, including a third-place finish at the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship, tying the best finish in eight seasons in the league.

The Long Island, N.Y. native came to Richmond after spending one year as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Penn State, where he helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 2005 NCAA East Regional.

Decker had a very successful collegiate golf career, capped by earning All-America honors and being named Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year as a senior in 1997. He also earned All-Mid Atlantic Region honors as both a sophomore and senior. Decker is currently ranked sixth on Penn State's all-time career-list for stroke average at 74.90.

After graduating from Penn State, Decker played six years of professional golf, including PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour events. He competed on the Mid-Atlantic Tour before successfully qualifying for the PGA Tour's 1998 Kemper Open. He also played in the 2000 Florida Classic, 2001 Hershey Open and the 2001 Greater Cleveland Open.

In 1999, Decker married Erin Suvak, who also played golf at Penn State. The couple traveled the East Coast playing various mini-tours and from 1999 through 2001, Decker won four times on three different tours. He also advanced to the second stage of PGA tour qualifying several times. Before returning to State College for the 2004-05 season as the assistant coach, the couple spent the previous two years on the New England Pro Tour. They decided to settle down when their baby, Kelly Rose, joined the family in August of 2004.

While coaching at Penn State under his former mentor, Greg Nye, Decker was responsible for player development, recruiting and the Nittany Lions' annual home event, the Rutherford Intercollegiate.

Decker originally earned a spot on the Penn State roster as a walk-on. He led the Nittany Lions to the 1996 NCAA Championships as a junior. Following his collegiate career,

Decker spent two years as an assistant golf professional at Caves Valley Golf Course in Baltimore, Md., where he completed his requirements for PGA Membership.