Now in his 33rd year as head coach of Tufts University Men's Basketball, Bob Sheldon continues to lead a Jumbo program that is regularly among New England's best.

Last season, Coach Sheldon directed Tufts to first place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and the Jumbo program’s first conference championship. Tufts then advanced through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and was awaiting “Sweet 16” action, but the tournament was canceled due to Covid. Tufts finished the year with a 23-6 record, tying the school record for victories.

Coach Sheldon was selected as the NESCAC and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Northeast Region Coach of the Year for 2019-20. The Jumbos finished 8-2 to win the competitive NESCAC, then hosted the conference “final four” and the first two rounds of NCAA Tournament action at historic Cousens Gymnasium. Tufts finished the year ranked #15 in the D3hoops.com national poll.

Over the last five seasons (2015-20), Tufts has compiled a 97-42 overall record under Coach Sheldon for a .698 winning percentage. Their 23 wins in 2015-16, 22 in 2016-17 and 23 last season represent three of the most successful seasons in school history.

In conference play, Tufts has earned home court tournament berths (top four) in the NESCAC six times in the last eight seasons. The Jumbos have a 35-15 mark against conference opponents since 2014.

In 2015-16, Sheldon's Jumbos were on the verge of reaching the NCAA "Final Four." Tufts hosted NCAA Regional and Sectional games at Cousens Gym and advanced to the "Elite Eight." The Jumbos finished the year as the #9 ranked team in the D3hoops national poll. Coach Sheldon was selected as the D3hoops Northeast Region Coach of the Year. The team's 23 wins in 2015-16 are tied for the school record. In 2016-17, Coach Sheldon led the Jumbos to the #1 seed in the NESCAC and into the NCAA "Sweet 16." Tufts finished the year with a 22-7 record and was #10 in the final D3hoops poll. 

The Jumbo program's all-time leader in coaching victories with 483, Sheldon is one of NCAA Division III’s top 25 winningest active coaches.

Tufts has made six NCAA Tournament appearances overall under Coach Sheldon, including four berths into the "Sweet 16." The 2005-06 team shares the school record for wins with a 23-7 record, reached the NESCAC Championship final and advanced to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16." Sheldon was voted D3Hoops' Northeast Region Coach of the Year that season as well. Two other Sheldon-coached Tufts teams made NCAA appearances including the 1994-95 Jumbos who won 20 games to earn the program's first NCAA appearance. The 1996-97 team won its final seven games to earn an NCAA berth.

Sheldon and his staff continue to recruit some of the top student-athletes in the nation to Tufts. Current senior Luke Rogers was last year’s NESCAC Player of the Year and was selected All-American by D3hoops and the NABC. Eric Savage, a 2020 Tufts graduate, finished his career ninth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 1,408 points. Savage also earned 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Team honors, and was one of just two recipients from NESCAC schools. He was one of three Jumbos who achieved NESCAC All-Academic Team membership for carrying grade point averages of 3.5 or better.

The Tufts team is active in the community under Coach Sheldon. The program has had two Team IMPACT teammates, partnering with the non-profit that works to improve kids’ quality of life by providing them experiences with the camaraderie of collegiate sports. Many team members are Big Brothers, while the team also annually plays in support of autism and pediatric cancer as well as supporting the local high school teams from Medford and Somerville.

Sheldon has participated in 12 NCAA Tournaments as player and coach. He is a 1977 graduate of St. Lawrence University and earned a master's degree in educational administration at Fordham in 1982. He was an assistant at Clark and Tufts prior to landing the Jumbos' head job in 1988.

Formerly the head coach of the Tufts Golf team, Sheldon received the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association's McCullough Award in 2011 for his commitment and contributions to the sport.

Coach Sheldon and his wife Cindy live in Northborough. They have three children: Jen, Bobby and Jess.