The concept of a clinic geared specifically toward addressing the needs and interests of offensive linemen came to fruition in 1982, when a group of about 18 coaches met with Jim McNally, an assistant coach with the NFL`s Cincinnati Bengals, in the Bengals` training facility. This situation continued for a few years, before the clinic eventually became too big for the Bengals` facilities. In response, McNally moved the clinic to a hotel in Cincinnati in the mid-1980s. Among coaches at the initial meeting were Bob Wylie and Paul Alexander, both of whom were to remain involved with C.O.O.L. Clinic over the years.
In 1995, McNally left the Bengals for a position on the staff of the Carolina Panthers. Bob Wylie, whom McNally had asked to be the caretaker of the clinic, then conducted the clinic for one year in Tampa, Florida. Upon being hired by the University of Cincinnati, Wylie brought the clinic back home to Cincinnati in 1996. Since that time, the C.O.O.L. Clinic has been at the same hotel in Cincinnati, although it has changed names over the years from the Clarion Hotel, to the Regal Hotel, to the present-day Millennium Hotel.
Traditionally, the C.O.O.L. Clinic has been held the third week in May each year to accommodate the large number of college coaches who incorporate this event into their spring schedule. The 2009 Offensive Line Coaches Handbook features presentations made by several of America's most outstanding coaches, including:
- Paul Alexander (Cincinnati Bengals)-Speaker Introduct
