Head coach Derek Schooley believes that his team is ready to regularly compete with other top teams around the nation as his previous teams have proved. Schooley’s teams have provided college hockey and Robert Morris athletics with some major upsets in the past three seasons. In January of 2007, the Colonials knocked off 2nd ranked Notre Dame 4-2 in South Bend, IN. In 2007-2008, Robert Morris won the prestigious Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage, Ak with an upset of four time national champion and 8th ranked Boston University.

The sixth year head coach enters the 2009-10 season with a 59-94-20 record in six seasons at Robert Morris. Schooley, 38, has been a college hockey coach for eleven seasons. In August of 2003, Schooley was named the first head coach in Robert Morris History. Prior to coming to Robert Morris, Schooley spent four years at the Air Force Academy as an Assistant Coach before spending one season at Air Force as Associate Head Coach. Schooley spent the 2003-2004 recruiting the inaugural Colonials Hockey Team.

During the 2008-09 campaign, Robert Morris got off to a rough start with a team consisting of only four seniors and 14 underclassmen. However, the Colonials rebounded in the second half of the season with a seven-game unbeaten streak. Their record of 10-19-7 and third place finish in College Hockey America featured a run to the CHA Championship game where Robert Morris lost an overtime heartbreaker to the eventual Frozen Four team, Bemidji State.  Five of Schooley's student-athlete's earned honors from the CHA as Chris Margott, Nathan Longpre and Denny Urban were named to the All-CHA First Team.  Brooks Ostergard and James Lyle also garnered conference laurels as they were All-CHA Rookie Team selections.

In 2007-08, Schooley's Colonials achieved their first 15 win, over .500 season going 15-15-4, and once again earning a third-place finish in the CHA. The 07-08 season featured many other firsts for Coach Schooley and the Colonial Hockey program. Senior forward Ryan Cruthers was named 2008 CHA Player of the Year and was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which is awarded annually to college hockey's most outstanding player.  Senior forward, Joel Gasper was named the CHA Student-Athlete of the Year.  This was the first time in Robert Morris Hockey history when Schooley's players earned such prestigious honors. Besides the two major CHA Awards, the Colonials placed four members on All League teams (Cruthers 1^st  team; Chris Margott 2^nd team; Nathan Longpre and Denny Urban on the All Rookie Team).

Schooley has coached fourteen players who have ascended from the program into professional hockey, as Kurt Wright (2006), Doug Conley (2007), Aaron Clarke (2007) and Joey Olson (2007) signed contracts in 2006 and 2007, while Sean Berkstresser, Tom Biondich, Joel Gasper, Chris Kaufman, Rob Cowan, Logan Bittle, Christian Boucher, Brett Hopfe, Jeff Gilbert and Ryan Cruthers joined them in signing professional hockey contracts after the 2007-08 campaign.

In their inaugural season, the Colonials finished with an 8-21-4 overall record. Many people thought that anything other than a zero in the win column that season would be a surprise for the first-year team. However, Schooley and his staff would prove college hockey wrong as the Colonials won their first ever game at Canisius on October 22, 2004 by the score 3-1. The Colonials would finish in 3^rd place at the 2004 Rensselaer Holiday Hockey Tournament with a 4-2 win over Sacred Heart. The Colonials placed two players, Jace Buzek and Chris Kaufman, on the CHA all rookie team.

In 2005-06, the Colonials improved on the eight win 04-05 campaign by increasing their win total to twelve wins.  The Colonials fourth place 05-06 CHA finish included wins at Schooley’s alma mater Western Michigan (CCHA), Princeton (ECAC) and the Colonials first ever playoff win over Air Force in the CHA quarterfinals. Once again, the Colonials placed a member on the CHA All Rookie Team (Chris Margott).

After two successful seasons getting the program started, Schooley led his team to a 14-19-2 overall record and a third-place finish in the CHA in 2006-07 while placing their first member on a CHA all league team as Aaron Clarke was named 2^nd Team All League. The Colonials advanced to the CHA Tournament finals before falling to Alabama-Huntsville, 5-4 in overtime. RMU defeated Bemidji State, 7-5, in the CHA Tournament semifinals.

While at Air Force, Schooley coached a defensive unit that broke the school record for goals against average in two of his last four seasons. The team’s goals against average of 2.91 in 2000-01 broke the record of 3.18 set a year earlier. Along with leading the defense at Air Force, Schooley assisted with nationwide recruiting efforts.

Prior to Air Force, Schooley spent a year as an assistant coach at Cornell during the 1997-98 season. He started his coaching career with the Chicago Freeze of the North American Hockey League in 1997 as an assistant coach and director of scouting.

A 1994 graduate of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications, Schooley was a four-year letterwinner as a defenseman with the Broncos. As a senior during the 1993-94 campaign, he tallied 23 assists and scored 27 points in 40 games, earning Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Defensive Player of the Week honors Feb 4, 1994. Also during the 1993-94 campaign he was given the KOHA Grinder of the Year award and led the Broncos in plus-minus ratio with a +22.  During the 1989-90 season, Schooley played junior hockey for current Air Force head coach Frank Serratore with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

Following his graduation from Western Michigan, Schooley played for the Huntington (W. Va.) Blizzard of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) during the 1994-95 season. In 66 games, he scored 18 points and compiled 151 penalty minutes. During the 1995-96 campaign, Schooley spent part of the season with the Blizzard before joining the Flint (Mich.) Generals, where he helped the team to a Colonial Hockey League (CoHL) regular season and playoff championship.

Schooley has been a head coach at the USA Hockey Select 14, 15, 16 and 17 Festivals. He also has spoken at numerous USA Hockey youth coaching clinics as well as the USA Hockey Masters Coaching Clinic. In August of 2002, Schooley gained international coaching experience as he was named an assistant coach of the United States Under-18 Select Team, which placed fifth in the Junior World Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Schooley is married to the former Alicia Batson from Middleville, Mich. They are the proud parents of Kaitlyn, Brendan and Taylor.