Hall of Fame
Former Ranger head basketball coach Bob Battisti is one of the most decorated individuals inducted into the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Sports Hall of Fame.
Battisti took over the men’s basketball program in 1986, starting his 21-year coaching tenure with the Rangers. His teams were known for their aggressiveness, hard work and tenacious defense. Battisti accumulated a 374-265 Ranger record and has accumulated 469 collegiate wins in his
basketball career.
From 1988-1996, the Rangers successfully finished their seasons in the top two of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference. This included four Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference titles and five runner-up finishes for Battisti and his teams. The Rangers earned many honors under Battisti’s leadership, including being ranked in the NAIA Top 25 seven times and earning six different conference titles. In 2007, the Rangers made it to the
quarterfinals of the national tournament.
Battisti’s best season at Northwestern was 1992-93, when the Rangers entered the national tournament with a 29-2 record and a #2 national ranking. He collected five conference Coach of the Year awards before being named national magazine Basketball Times NAIA National Coach of the Year in
1994. Battisti stepped down as Northwestern’s head coach in 2007. The next four years, he remained with the Ranger family as the university's athletic director.
As athletic director, Battisti began Northwestern’s efforts to seek membership into NCAA Division II. He was also the founder of the “Vision to Victory” fundraising campaign, raising $2.4 million to help with facility improvements. He was given the opportunity here at Northwestern after working two years with the University of Minnesota as an assistant, alongside NBA player/coach Flip Saunders.
Following his time at Northwestern, Battisti continued to coach basketball at Oklahoma Christian University, as the head coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Mid-America Christian University and at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Battisti currently resides in Oklahoma City. He and his wife, Shelly, have two sons, Cooper and Levi, and a daughter, Tisha.
