John Cole joined VCU as assistant golf coach in 2023, following an outstanding five-year run as head coach at Fayetteville State.
In 2022-23, Cole steered the Broncos to their first CIAA Championship since 2012 and claimed the league’s Coach of the Year award for the second time. He was also named HBCU National Coach of the Year for his efforts. Fayetteville State later placed second at the NCAA Atlantic/East Regional to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Five of his players earned All-CIAA honors, and two were named to the Ping All-Region Team.
Cole was named Fayetteville State head coach in 2018, and promptly led the Broncos to a runner-up finish at the CIAA Championship, the program’s best showing in seven years. In 2021, he directed the Broncos to an NCAA Championship appearance for the first time in his tenure following a fourth-place regional finish.
He began his coaching career as the first head coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams at Fayetteville Technical Community College in 2016. He built both programs from scratch and started competing in events in Fall 2016. Cole was awarded FTCC Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and earned NJCAA Region X Coach of the Year in 2017. He led the Trojans to a victory at the 2018 NJCAA Region X Championship and a berth in the NJCAA DII National Championship.
Cole was initially standout collegiate golfer for Fayetteville State. He earned five collegiate victories as a freshman in 2011, including the PGA Works DII Collegiate Championship, and was later named CIAA Player of the Year. Cole transferred to Appalachian State and later became the team captain his senior year. He graduated from Appalachian State in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management and a minor in Communications.
On the professional links following his collegiate career, Cole played on the Swingthough, G-Pro, and Coastal Players Tour. He captured a win at the 2015 Crow Creek Invitational on the Coastal Players Tour.
Cole, a Fayetteville, N.C. native, attended Cape Fear High School, where he won the 2010 Cumberland County Match Play Championship.
