Mark Cosgrove Hometown: Peru, Ill. Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 20th year Alma Mater: Southern Illinois (1974)

Updated Jan. 20, 2009

SIU alum Mark "Skip" Cosgrove begins his 20th season as a member of the Saluki coaching staff, and has coached some of the best athletes and teams in Southern Illinois history.

Cosgrove has also been a part of the Saluki staff that earned four straight MVC Staff of the Year awards (2002-05).

Cosgrove has served as an assistant coach for SIU's regular-season Gateway (1991) and Missouri Valley Conference (2004 & 2005) championships, a Gateway Tournament title (1991) and all six of the Salukis' NCAA Tournament teams (1991, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007).

During the previous 19 years, Cosgrove has watched the Salukis build a 675-324-2 record with a .660 winning percentage.

Cosgrove heads into his 14th season as a salaried coach, and is responsible for working with the outfielders, event management and as a camp instructor.

The three starters in outfield in 2007 had a total of only four errors with 175 put outs and seven assists for a .962 fielding percentage.

In that year, Cosgrove's outfielders were part of a Saluki defense that finished with a .976 fielding percentage, finishing first in the MVC and fifth in the entire nation, making it the fifth-straight year the Salukis finish in the top 50. SIU finished 26th in 2003 (.969), 30th in 2004 (.967), 23rd in 2005 (.970), and 47th in 2006 (.967).

From the 2007 outfield, Tiffanie Dismore and Krystal Stein earned post-season honors. Dismore was named Second-Team All-MVC, and named to the All-MVC Scholar-Athlete Team and CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V. Stein was also named to the All-MVC Scholar Athlete Team.

The outfielding crew under Cosgrove had another successful season in 2008. The SIU starting outfielders only committed six errors with 181 put outs and seven assists.

Cosgrove recently retired after 29 years of service at SIU's Plant and Service Operations, where he coordinated the university's ADA compliance projects.

Cosgrove holds two degrees from Southern Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences in 1974 and his master's in outdoor recreation in 1986.

A Peru, Ill., native, Cosgrove has been involved with youth sports for more than 30 years, coaching softball at various levels. In 1991, he guided his 16-and-under ASA team to a seventh-place finish at the state tournament.

The next year, his 18-and-under squad placed fourth in state competition, and qualified for the Midwest Regionals.

Cosgrove and his wife, Patty, who works at SIU, have two children.