Brad Rickel, men's and women's golf coach at Gonzaga University during the 1998-99 season, has returned to the Bulldogs as head women's golf coach.

He returns to the Bulldogs after eight years at the University of Idaho.

"I look at this as coming home," said Rickel, a native of Spokane who attended Gonzaga Prep, Gonzaga University for two years and graduated from Eastern Washington University.

Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth said Rickel's hiring is nothing but a positive for Bulldog golf, which allows the golf program to split into two distinct programs with Robert Gray being able to devote fulltime duties to the men's golf team.

"This is a great situation for Gonzaga golf," Roth said. "Robert has grown the men's and women's programs to the point where it became increasingly difficult for one person to oversee both programs. The time has come to split the programs into two distinct entities. With Brad's return to coach the women and Robert concentrating solely on the men, the future is as bright as it has ever been."

Rickel built the Vandals into one of the top programs on the West Coast. In 2007 the Vandal women captured the Western Athletic Conference title, placed 12th at the NCAA Regionals and had an individual advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Vandals qualified either an individual or a team for the NCAA Regionals seven of the eight years he was at the helm of the men's and women's programs. The women earned regional qualifying in 2001 and 2002, with the men advancing to the Regionals in 2000 after capturing the Big West Conference title. The women won the Big West crown in 2001.

In his eight years at Idaho the Vandal women won 19 tournaments with 16 runner-up finishes, while the men captured eight tournament titles and were runner-up seven times. He had 21 women and seven men earn either first or second team all-conference honors. Off the course he had 29 conference all-academic selections and five academic All-Americans.

And Rickel thinks he can raise Gonzaga to the same level.

"My last year at Gonzaga was the year the men's basketball team went to the NCAA Elite Eight and the athletic department has taken off since. I left before it got going, but I've watched it grow. I've always been a Zags fan and it as fun to watch the department keep growing and growing," Rickel said. "It's a completely different place then when I left."

But not so much different he's not looking forward to the return.

"My wife and I love the smaller university, although Gonzaga's enrollment has probably doubled since I left. But it's more of a family, you know more people and everybody knows each other. It's a great place to go to school, not to mention a great education," he said. Rickel thinks he can follow much the same model he used at Idaho to take the Bulldogs to the next level.

"I know this sounds a little corny, but it's all about having a passion for where you are and what you do. I love college golf, and I have the passion to be as good as we can be wherever I am. I think our success at Idaho was a combination of us working hard and recruiting the right kids, and once they got to Idaho we worked with them and pointed them in the right direction, all of which can be done at Gonzaga. Robert has laid a great foundation and I can build on it with hard work and passion."

Rickel holds a Class A PGA Professional status. He has golf course experience, working at Spokane's Manito Golf and Country Club as first assistant PGA Golf Professional from 1994-98 and at the Creek at Qualchan in Spokane as assistant PGA Golf Professional in 1999.

His wife, Karen, is an assistant profressor in the Department of Sport and Education at Gonzaga. They are the parents of Darby and Madison.