UWF HALL OF FAME - CLASS OF 2008-09
Along with fellow special achievement honoree Sandy Sansing, Hiram Cook helped plant the seeds of what the UWF Athletic Department would grow into in its modern era. Cook played golf for UWF in 1968-1970. Now the owner of Stonebrook Golf Club in Pace, Fla., he has helped promote junior golf in the Gulf Coast area through numerous tournaments, scholarships, and more. In 2007, Cook was honored with the Pensacola Sports Association’s Shugart Award, an award named after Admiral Kenneth L. Shugart which recognizes community leaders who have made significant contributions to youth sports. He was also named the 2008 PSA Sportsman of the Year.
Cook also founded the Greater Pensacola Junior Golf Association. It provided the structure to teach children the rules and etiquette of the great game and gave them the opportunity to forge their games in a series of quality tournaments. The GPJGA serves as many as 450 children each summer, and among its graduates are Heath Slocum, Boo Weekley, Bubba Watson, Jennifer Pandolfi, and his daughter and current UWF women’s golf head coach Robin Dezarn. Cook is married to Bonnie and they have two children, Robin and Ryan.
Hall of Fame Questionnaire
1. What was your most memorable moment in UWF athletics?
I was part of the first Men’s Golf Team at UWF. Coach Conrad Rehling was coach. I enjoyed being a part of the team and working with Coach Rehling.
2. Being a former student-athlete, how has it helped you in your life after college?
I have been involved in golf for the last 38 years. UWF allowed me to achieve many personal goals in my business and other areas of my life.
3. Are you still involved with your sport? If so, in what capacity?
I coached football, baseball, and golf at the high school level for 10 years. I have developed and built golf courses. I am a PGA professional. I have been involved in developing a Junior Golf Program in the Northwest Florida area. I was also a part of a committee that implemented the national “First Tee Program” in this area.
4. Please list any other information that you would like to share.
I am very excited about the potential growth of UWF athletics.
