Countdown to Hobey:
University of OhioYear: 1984See School Profile Page
A 1984 Ohio State graduate (cum laude in accounting and marketing), Pooley got his start in college coaching at his alma mater, serving as an assistant to Jerry Welsh with the Buckeyes for three seasons (1988-91) following the end of his professional career. No stranger to the CCHA, Pooley was one of the conference’s top players from 1980-84 and was a second-team selection to the conference’s all-decade team of the 1980’s. A three-time member of the CCHA’s all-academic team, he took Academic All-America honors in 1984. A second-team all-CCHA selection in 1981, he also was selected as the CCHA’s co-rookie of the year that season. Pooley capped his brilliant Ohio State career in 1984 as he was selected as the CCHA Player of the Year and Bauer’s National Player of the Year, leading the nation in scoring with 32 goals and 64 assists for 96 points in 41 games. Selected first-team all-CCHA and first team All-America as a senior, Pooley is Ohio State’s all-time leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270) and joined the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. He became the first Ohio State hockey player to have his number retired on November 4, 2006 during a game between Notre Dame and the Buckeyes. A native of Exeter, Ontario, Pooley signed with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets following his collegiate career and played two seasons with the Jets’ top farm team, the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League, playing on a Calder Cup championship team in 1985. He moved on to play one season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League where he was co-captain of a Komet team that won the 1987 regular-season championship. In his three seasons as a pro, Pooley played in 15 NHL games with the Jets. He retired in 1987 to go into private business with his twin brother, Perry, also an Ohio State hockey All-American. Pooley is currently the associate head coach for Notre Dame’s men’s ice hockey team, a position he has held since 2005. Pooley and his wife, Kelly, have two children: 22-year-old, Scott, who is a junior hockey player at College of the Holy Cross, and 19-year-old Taylor, who plays soccer at Ball State Pooley became the first Ohio State hockey player to have his number (22) retired on November 4, 2006. ACHA West First-Team All-American, 1983-1984. Selected as the CCHA Player of the Year and Bauer’s National Player of the Year, 1984.

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