Men's Golf
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- mwb013@bucknell.edu
- Phone:
- 570-577-3075
Phone: 570-577-3075
Email: mwb013@bucknell.edu
Michael Binney, Major, USMC (Ret.), took over as Bucknell's head men's golf coach on July 30, 2014, A veteran of more than 20 years of active duty service in the United States Marine Corps, Binney has turned to a career in golf. Prior to coming to Bucknell, he spent the previous four years as assistant professional at Ebensburg Country Club, and from 2010-12 he was assistant men's golf coach at Saint Francis (Pa.) University.
In his first 11 seasons at Bucknell, Binney has guided the Bison to six tournament victories: the 2015 and 2016 Lehigh Invitational, the 2016 Yale Invitational, the 2018 Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge, the 2021 Battle at Rum Pointe, and the 2021 Howard Bison Invitational. Bucknell finished third at the 2017 Patriot League Championship, its highest finish in eight years. Binney has coached five tournament medalists and a dozen All-Patriot League honorees.
Binney's players have broken the Bucknell season and career scoring average records as well as low 18 hole rounds, and his teams have set program marks for low 18-, 36- and 54-hole scores. The top seven players on Bucknell's career scoring average list all played under Binney's watch.
After retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps, Binney attended the Professional Golfers Career College in Orlando, Fla., in 2009. He also received his USGA rules official credentials in 2010 and has been an active member of the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association's tournament operations. In April 2011 Binney was hired as assistant pro at Ebensburg CC, and he also served as an assistant coach at Saint Francis under former Red Flash head coach Nick Wheeler.
Binney was an attack helicopter pilot during his two-decade tenure in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of major. A 1986 graduate of Boston College, Binney received a master's degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in 2003, where he completed his thesis on Joint Close Air Support in the Low Intensity Conflict. He also attended Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia in 1996 and Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 2000.
Binney's overseas deployments included service in Somalia, Bosnia, and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was recognized for his actions with the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. His most recent service was as a pilot stationed at the Marine Corps Reserve Training Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he was a member of an aviation squadron responsible for operational flight planning, maintenance control, scheduling and quality assurance for 18 USMC helicopters. He also spent three years (2003-06) with the Joint Special Operations Command headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and earlier in his career he served in various roles as a pilot based out of Camp Pendleton, California and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Binney's military ties run deep, and each of his Bucknell players are assigned a research project on a fallen hero, with that soldier's name embroidered on his golf bag.
Binney succeeded Jim Cotner, who retired in May 2014 after leading the Bucknell men's golf team to three Patriot League titles and 16 tournament wins during his 13-year tenure as head coach. Binney became just the sixth head coach in the 70-plus-year history of the Bucknell men's golf program, following in the footsteps of Harold Evans (1939-42, 1946-66), Brad Tufts (1967-75), Jeff Ranck (1976-81), Tommy Thompson (1982-2001) and Cotner (2001-14).
