Bob Cardea, who begins his 14th fall season as the Rutgers-Camden golf coach, has coached the Scarlet Raptors longer than anybody in program history. Cardea started coaching at Rutgers-Camden during the 1995 spring season, continuing a family tradition. His late father, Don Cardea, coached the program from 1983-87.
The Scarlet Raptors finished the spring season on a high note, winning their last two outings behind the outstanding play of Dave Taraschi, who was the individual medalist in both matches. Taraschi enjoyed an outstanding comeback season after being sidelined throughout most of the fall campaign with an eye injury which left him with permanent vision loss. Despite his injury, Taraschi still managed to lead the team with a 76.1 average, and was named the annual winner of the William P. Carty Memorial Award as Rutgers-Camden’s Most Courageous Athlete.
Newcomer Dave Henry, who posted a 78.4 average, joined Taraschi to form a formidable 1-2 punch for the Raptors.
Taraschi’s injury was the latest in a line of injuries and illnesses that have hampered the Scarlet Raptors over the past five semesters after they had posted four consecutive winning semesters. Despite the setbacks, the Raptors have produced several highlights in that span, including a program-record 69 by Taraschi at the Tom Ruggieri Invitational II on April 10, 2007.
The Raptors’ four-semester winning streak ran from the 2004 spring season through the fall of 2005. When the 2005 fall team posted a 44-41-1 record, it marked the first time the program had posted four straight winning semesters. The team wrapped up its winning record by capturing the title of its own Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors Fall Invitational (Oct. 28, 2005).
During those four semesters, Rutgers-Camden posted a 177-143-2 mark. That streak included a combined 96-66-1 record during the 2004-2005 academic year, the first winning school year at Rutgers-Camden since the team went 112-50-4 in 1993-1994.
Cardea’s Scarlet Raptors posted a 39-38-1 record during the spring 2005 season to record their third consecutive winning semester, a feat that hadn’t happened since they had winning records from the 1987 spring through the 1988 spring semesters.
The highlight of the 2005 spring semester came when Chris Binder shot a 71 at the Susquehanna Spring Invitational (April 7), breaking the old mark of 72 accomplished three times – once by Binder (Sept. 23, 2004) and twice by Chris Bevelheimer (Sept. 24, 1993 and April 25, 1994). That mark stood until Taraschi lowered it to 69.
During the fall of 2004, the Scarlet Raptors competed in seven invitationals, producing an outstanding 57-28 overall mark. It was more wins in one semester than any team since the 63-23-1 squad, which set a school record in the spring of 1994. Only that club and the 1992 fall team (61-30) posted better records than the Raptors did during the 2004 fall campaign.
Bob Cardea’s Rutgers-Camden record
School year Fall Spring Overall
1994-1995 --- 9-37 9-37
1995-1996 18-26 6-52 24-78
1996-1997 11-24-1 7-60 18-84-1
1997-1998 4-22 7-59 11-81
1998-1999 3-57-1 5-79 8-136-1
1999-2000 3-49-1 19-78-2 22-127-3
2000-2001 12-71-1 11-66-1 23-137-2
2001-2002 21-48-2 19-61 40-109-2
2002-2003 18-45 16-45 34-90
2003-2004 20-56 37-36 57-92
2004-2005 57-28 39-38-1 96-66-1
2005-2006 44-41-1 21-40 65-81-1
2006-2007 17-42 17-44 34-86
2007-2008 13-43 10-37 23-80
Totals 241-552-7 223-732-4 464-1284-11
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In addition to their overall record, Cardea’s Raptors established a program record with a 308 team score at the Franklin & Marshall College Invitational (Sept. 13, 2004) and Binder tied the old individual school mark with his round of 72 at the Moravian College Fall Golf Invitational.
The Scarlet Raptors started their turnaround in the spring of 2004 with a 37-36 record in seven invitationals. That mark gave the Scarlet Raptors their first winning semester since the 63-23-1 mark in the spring of 1994.
The Scarlet Raptors lowered their school record team score that spring, shooting a 312 at the Susquehanna University Tee-Off Invitational (March 25, 2004) then lowered that mark with a 309 score at the Rutgers-Camden Spring Golf Invitational (April 23, 2004). In the fall of 2004 they not only improved that score to a 308 at Franklin & Marshall, but they also added a 310 at the East Stroudsburg University Fall Invitational (Oct. 15, 2004).
Prior to the spring of 2004, the old team mark was 313, set at the Pocono Intercollegiate Championship (April 21, 1994).
The Raptors capped a brilliant fall in 2004 with a strong finish in their last three outings. After a pair of second-place finishes, Rutgers-Camden won the Gwynedd-Mercy College Tri-Match in its last competition Oct. 18.
The winning streak stretched through the 2005 fall season, when the Raptors had two golfers who averaged under 80. Matt Tomasic carded a 79.0 and Brian Mason – currently the Raptors’ assistant coach – came in with a 79.7 mark, helping the team post a 44-41-1 mark in six invitationals.
The Raptors offered a preview of their upcoming accomplishments during the fall of 2003. That success was led by Ryan Cusick, who opened the campaign with three straight rounds in the 70s, including a 77 (at the time a career low) at the Moravian College Fall Golf Invitational Sept. 25. Cusick’s 77 helped the Raptors post a 325 team score, the best team score since their 313 in 1994.
Cardea spent six years serving as the General Manager of Somerton Springs South Jersey Golf Campus in Washington Township before becoming the Director of Golf Instruction of the South Jersey Golf Schools at the Parkville Golf Center in West Deptford. In January of 2004, he accepted the position as the Director of Golf Instruction at Town & Country Golf Links in Woodstown.
Cardea now serves as the manager of the Camden County Golf Academy, which opened in June, 2008, at Route 130 and North Park Drive in Pennsauken.
A Cherry Hill resident, Cardea was a four-year golf letterman at Cherry Hill East High School, where he served as captain and led his team to a pair of state finals. He was a member of Wesley College’s Eastern College Athletic Conference championship team in 1988 before transferring to Towson State University. Cardea continued his golfing career at Towson State, and graduated from the school in December, 1992, with a degree in Business Management.
Following college, Cardea attended the PGA Teaching School in West Palm Beach, Florida. He returned to Florida in February, 1999, where he passed the United States Golf Teachers Federation professional test in Port St. Lucie. The certification process included 36 holes on the Saints Course at Club Med, a written rules test and a teaching test.
As a member of the USGTF, Cardea participated in his first USGTF National Championship in October, 1999. The top six golfers at the event made the World Cup team.
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