Bob Protexter #21

Founder of Total Baseball Development

712-490-7199

Bob Protexter
712-490-7199
protexter.tbd@gmail.com

Professional Bio

Bob Protexter is Sioux City, Iowa native and a 1985 graduate of Sioux City East High School where he played football, ran track, and played 2nd Base for the East High Black Raiders baseball team. He was a member of the 1984 Iowa High School State Championship football team. Protexter attended American Legion Boys State at Camp Dodge in Des Moines, Iowa in the summer between his junior and senior years while at East High.

Protexter attended Pan American University, now University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley (NCAA Division I) in Edinburg, Texas for one and one half years from January 1986 to May of 1987, and played baseball. He redshirted in the spring of 1986. Protexter was a 2nd Baseman at Pan American.

Protexter transferred to Morningside College (then NCAA Division II, and currently NAIA) in his native Sioux City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree and graduated with a double major in Political Science and History in 1991. At Morningside he played baseball. During his seasons of play at Morningside of 1988, 1989, and 1991, Protexter spent most of his time in the middle infield playing shortstop and second base with time also at third base and first base. Protexter was a career college .315 hitter.

Protexter in 1990 sold his car, bought a plane ticket to the U.S.S.R., and flew to Moscow to coach baseball for the Moscow Red Devils. His Russian adventures started in March of that year with the Red Devils; the eventual 1990 Soviet Union National Champions. He then went on to coach the Soviet Union's National Baseball Team for the European Championships in Parma, Italy, where the U.S.S.R. National Team won the European Championships in Group B. This championship elevated the country into European Group A, the top group, after only four years of baseball in the Soviet Union. Group A is where the Olympic Qualifier comes from.

Protexter was featured on CBS Sunday Morning during the summer of 1990 highlighting his work coaching in the USSR for the Moscow Red Devils.

Protexter returned in 1991 to again help coach the Red Devils; and repeated as the 1991 USSR National Champions, and again served on the coaching staff for the USSR National Baseball Team, this time in the Intercontinental Cup in Barcelona, Spain and in the European Championships (Group A) in Rome, Italy. The USSR finished out of the running as a qualifier for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Protexter then signed a contract and worked five years for Major League Baseball's (MLB) California Angels, now the Los Angeles Angels, from 1992 to 1996, heading up their Russian scouting program, and serving as the Angels liaison and Russian interpreter for the six players from the former U.S.S.R. that signed contracts with the Angels and for the Angels staff.

Protexter was featured on ESPN right prior to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in a piece highlighting Russian sports and athletes and how their world had changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Baseball was the opening piece in this hour long program.

Protexter then returned home to Sioux City in the fall of 1996, and in 1997 began to serve as an assistant baseball coach for head coach Jim Scholten's squad at Morningside College until 2005. Protexter was not on staff in the spring of 1999, and spent 8 total years in this position at Morningside primarily working with the infielders and hitters, incorporating video analysis into their program, and directing their advance scouting program.

Protexter, during his time at Morningside College, took over the reins of the Sioux City Saints summer collegiate amateur baseball team in 1999. The Saints were founded in 1975, and traditionally play anywhere from 25 to 40 games a summer in a competitive schedule in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Protexter has served in every capacity from general manager to manager to bench coach to player during this time, and continued to run the Saints through 2013.

Protexter was featured in 2000 on ESPN's Outside the Lines television show with Bob Ley in their network special Top Ten Stories of of Outside the Lines of the 1990's; with one of those top 10 stories including an in-depth story reporting on baseball in Russia and how it started in the Soviet Union.

Protexter in 2001, took a break during his time at Morningside College with the blessing of head coach Jim Scholten, served as an on-field interpreter and player liaison for Russian minor leaguer Oleg Korneev in the MLB's Seattle Mariners organization.

Protexter then in the fall of 2002 served as on-field interpreter during the MLB's Fall Instructional League and worked with Russian coaches and the San Francisco Giants minor league coaching staff through Major League Baseball International's Coaching Development Program.

Protexter also while at Morningside College (1997-2005) and beyond maintained his Russian baseball on-field endeavors as a Bench Coach for the Russian National Baseball Teams at worldwide International Baseball Federation (IBAF) tournaments at the following venues from 1997 to 2019.

Junior World Championships - Canada - Summer 1997
Junior World Championships - Canada - Summer 2000
Senior European Championships (Group A) - Germany - Summer 2001
Senior World Championships - Taiwan - November 2001
Senior European Championships (Group A) - Holland - Summer 2003
Senior European Championships (Group A) - Spain - Fall 2007
Senior European Championships (Group B) - Bulgaria - Summer 2019

Protexter, outside of baseball, worked for Olympic Panorama, a wing of the Russian Olympic Committee, in transportation logistics and interpretation at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah U.S.A..

Protexter in 2004 while at Morningside College began giving baseball lessons and in 2005 after the eight-year stint at Morningside College as an assistant founded Total Baseball Development (TBD); a baseball school located in Sioux City that offers individualized personal and group instruction, out-of-season leagues, clinics, camps, and player placement services for high school, college, and professional baseball players. Total Baseball Development serves as a local resource for extra baseball in the greater Siouxland area of northwest Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and southeastern South Dakota, and southwestern Minnesota providing young players with local, state-wide, and nation-wide opportunities in baseball.

Protexter in 2008 started a high school age select Tournament Team called the Sioux City Bancrofts; named in honor of Dave Bancroft, Sioux City's only Hall of Famer, born in Sioux City in 1891. In the Fall of 2009, the Bancrofts began as a Fall College Prospects team playing a full fall schedule including trips to Phoenix, Arizona. In the Spring of 2010 the Bancrofts began as an American Legion Baseball Team playing a full spring schedule with three straight trips to the Iowa American Legion State Tournament.

Protexter, in 2009, founded the organization "Save Olympic Baseball", an organisation promoting the sport of baseball's hopeful return to the Summer Olympic Games. The organization was created in an effort to help, aid, and assist in the facilitation of the world-wide grassroots campaign that the baseball world is conducting that advocates the reinstatement of their sport to the Olympic programme. "Save Olympic Baseball" was a nonprofit worldwide organisation and an ever-growing source of information for the sport of baseball's quest to be reinstated as a sport in the Summer Olympic Games. In 1986 baseball was voted into the Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 1992 baseball was first played in the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. In 2005 baseball was voted out of the Olympic Games by the IOC. Baseball was the first sport to be voted out of the Olympic Games since 1936. In 2008 baseball was played for the last time in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. In 2009 baseball was seeking reinstatement and inclusion, once again, into the Olympic sports programme by lobbying and appealing to the IOC. If baseball was voted back into the Olympics by the IOC in 2009 then the sport will once again begin competing in the Olympics in 2016. It was voted on in August of 2009 at the IOC Board meeting in Berlin, Germany that baseball would also not be included in the 2016 Summer Olympics. In August of 2016, the IOC approved the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee's final shortlist of five sports, which included baseball, to be included in the program during the 2020 Summer Olympics. Baseball was not included in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Baseball and softball are to return to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.

Protexter in the summer of 2009 began a new venture as an evaluator and coach for the Great Lakes Region of USA Baseball's National Team Identification Series (NTIS) working in Chicago for the tryouts for the 17U, 15U, and 13U teams, and then traveling to USA Baseball's Training Center in Cary, North Carolina in September as a coach of the 13U and 17U teams in the USA Baseball's 2009 NTIS Series.

Protexter then again, outside of baseball, worked in transportation logistics and interpretation for Olympic Panorama of the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada.

Protexter was the Iowa NTIS state director in 2010 for the Iowa NTIS and conducted workouts across the state during the month of August. Iowa players selected represented the six state Great Lakes region and traveled to Cary, North Carolina for the 2010 USA Baseball National Team Identification Series consisting of the three separate age groups of 17U, 15U, and 13U, that featured a total of 648 players. The event was held September 9 to September 12 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and adjoining Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina with the primary purpose of choosing and selecting candidates for the 2011 USA National Teams for 18U, 16U, and 14U.

Protexter was then the Nebraska NTIS state director in 2011 and operated statewide workouts in Nebraska for the Midwest Region (Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas) of USA Baseball. Three Team Nebraska's, one each in the 17U, 15U, and 13U age categories where assembled from these workouts and competed in USA Baseball's Midwest Regional Showcase in St. Louis, Missouri on August 19, 20, and 21. From this workout and from these states players were selected to represent the Midwest Region in USA Baseball's 2011 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) on September 9, 10, and 11 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and adjoining Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina with the primary purpose of choosing and selecting candidates for the 2012 USA National Teams for 18U, 16U, and 14U.

Protexter worked as Head Coach for the Kansas City Sluggers in the summer of 2012. The Sluggers are a traveling high school age showcase team whose organization is run by former MLB player Brian McRae.

Protexter, in March of 2014, took Bill Krejci of USA Baseball to Moscow for a nine day whirlwind tour of Moscow and Russian baseball. Krejci served as the head speaker and clinician for a three day coach's seminar, with one day to include softball as well. Krejci also served another three days working in a camp setting and helping with the evaluation process for the Russian National Baseball Teams of all ages. With those two events comprising six of the seven full days of Krejci being on the ground in Moscow, the seventh day will be fully occupied as well with a Press Conference at the Russian Olympic Committee in Moscow, with that day rounded out with meetings with Russian baseball officials and sports officials to help to evaluate the state of the game in Russia and to help to work to further develop the game in a country. Protexter and Krejci were invited to Moscow by Russian baseball coach and former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim minor league baseball player Alexander Nizov.

Protexter was published on Major League Baseball's Opening Day, April 6, 2015, in The Hardball Times on fangraphs.com with the story titled 'I Am a Royals Fan and I Feel Important Today'.

Protexter in the fall of 2015 added the Iowa Great Lakes as a location for the TBD Fall League for high schoolers.

Protexter was featured in a March 24th, 2016 story on MLB.COM titled 'The Glasnost Gang: When the Halos 'invaded' Russia ~ In 1992, the Angels signed three Russian players; here is their story'. Written by Tom Singer and Doug Miller.

Protexter was published on November 10, 2017, in The Hardball Times on fangraphs.com with the story titled 'A (Future) Red October'.

Protexter, in 2017, was very instrumental in the charge in lighting up the three public high school baseball fields, with lights debuting in 2019. He coordinated the beginnings of new group efforts in bringing lights to the three public school stadiums in his home town of Sioux City, Iowa. He advocated, as many in the community did, over the years for putting up lights on the East, North, and West High School baseball fields which had never had lights since building the fields in the 1970's. Many efforts took place over the years, but these new grassroots organizational meetings and proceedings founded the Sioux City Baseball Lights Project that was created as a Sioux City community wide effort made up of players, parents, supporters, fans, and boosters from the three high schools of East High, West High, and North High with the goal of putting up lights with the original target date of 2018. This widespread community group effort went on to include funding from each of the three high schools, private entities, public supporters, the Sioux City Community School District, and Major League Baseball through their Baseball Tomorrow Fund to the tune of $192,000. The Sioux City Community School District began on the ground planning in 2018 with site inspections and grid layouts. And MUSCO Lights went up on all three Sioux City public school baseball fields for the summer season of 2019!

Protexter, in 2018 and up until December of 2021, after years of informal consulting to MLB clubs, formally began to consult and advise Major League Baseball on the subject of Russian baseball, Russian baseball players, the overall operation of Russian baseball programs, baseball in the former republics of the Soviet Union, and developmental capacities of the entire of the former USSR.

Protexter in early spring of 2019 returned to Russia as a Consultant, Advance Scout, Advisor to the President of the Russian Baseball Federation, and Assistant Coach for the senior Russian National Team in their quest to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Russia finished out of the running as a qualifier for the 2020 Games.

Protexter, in August of 2019, led a group of four young players from Russia and Russian Federation Coach Andrey Selivanov to Regensburg, Germany for Major League Baseball's All-Star European Camp that included some fifty 15U players from eleven European countries and South Africa.

Protexter, in the fall of 2020, added youth programs at the Iowa Great Lakes location in the form of 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th, and 6th-7th Grade Divisions in the TBD Fall League.

Protexter in 2021 began as the Head Baseball Coach at Graettinger-Terril-Ruthven-Ayrshire High School in Ruthven, Iowa where he served in the summers of 2021 and 2022.

Protexter in October of 2020 started a new American Legion team in the name of the Iowa Great Lakes Okobojis with games beginning in March of 2021. In Iowa, American Legion operates a spring season with tryouts in February and games in March and April. The Okobojis were sponsored by Milford Post #384 in the springs of 2021 and 2022. In 2023 the Okobojis were sponsored by Spencer Post #1 and called Cardinal Field in Spencer, Iowa their home field. The Okobojis returned to having Milford Post #384 as their sponsor in 2024 and again in 2025. In the Fall of 2022 the Okobojis expanded their seasons to include a trip to Phoenix, Arizona to play in the prestigious invitation only Arizona Fall Classic - Easton Fall Classic with games at the Spring Training Complexes of the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. In the fall of 2023 the Okobojis played one fall as a Fall College Prospects team playing a 25+ game schedule starting in late August in Minneapolis and again finishing in the End of Fall - End of Year tradition of playing in the Arizona Fall Classic - Easton Fall Classic. The Okobojis just completed their 5th spring season here in 2025.

Protexter resides in Sioux City and in the extended area of the Iowa Great Lakes. He is the son of the late Marvella Protexter, an avid baseball fan and supporter of Morningside College and of the Sioux City community for over 50 years; and the late Donald Protexter, former longtime head baseball coach of 28 years at Morningside College from 1955 to 1983, and who also served as Athletic Director the last four years at the school, and was also an Economics and Business Professor.