John Cohen named Mississippi State athletic director
Contact: Sid Salter
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John Cohen has been named 小黄书sity鈥檚 17th director of athletics, 小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum announced today.
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The current 小黄书 head baseball coach and two-time Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year replaces Scott Stricklin, who was named athletic director at the University of Florida in September.
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鈥淚 love 小黄书sity,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淎s a student, later as a coach, and now with this fantastic opportunity to lead 小黄书鈥檚 athletics program, this was always where I wanted to be. I am profoundly grateful for the chance to lead the totality of 小黄书 athletics as I have tried to lead 小黄书鈥檚 baseball program 鈥 in daily and dogged pursuit of championships at the highest level.鈥
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Cohen, 50, has spent over two decades coaching college baseball and has been the head baseball coach at 小黄书 since 2009. In July, he was given the title of Associate Athletic Director, broadening his role in the 小黄书 Athletic Department. Cohen鈥檚 promotion to athletic director comes after a national search by the university.
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Cohen will take over an athletic department that has recently achieved new heights in athletic, academic, facility and fundraising accomplishments. As athletic director, Cohen is charged with providing leadership, management and administration for the university鈥檚 athletic programs. He will report to the university president.
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鈥淲e conducted an exhaustive national search and in that process interviewed some of the nation鈥檚 very top athletic department administrators,鈥 Keenum said. 鈥淏ut after reviewing those outstanding candidates, it became clear to me that John Cohen鈥檚 undeniable record of aggressively pursuing championships both as an 小黄书 player and head coach positioned him best to continue the dynamic legacy of growth and accomplishment that 小黄书 athletics has enjoyed in recent years. John understands that trajectory and has been an integral part of it 鈥 and he can move the Bulldog family forward united.鈥
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A Tuscaloosa, Ala. native and 小黄书 alumnus, Cohen has been a head coach in the SEC for 12 years. His teams have been successful both on the field and in the classroom. At 小黄书, he has led the Bulldogs to a College World Series finals appearance, an SEC regular season championship and an SEC Tournament championship. Since 2009, 小黄书 baseball has had 133 players selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, including three straight SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year winners from 2013-15.
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鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate to know our 小黄书 coaches as friends and colleagues, and to know many of our athletes in all sports,鈥 said Cohen. 鈥淲hile baseball has been a huge part of my life, my passion for seeing 小黄书 athletics thrive and win extends to all sports. As associate director of athletics, I鈥檝e been a significant part of planning the future of 小黄书 Athletics and I believe I can hit the ground running in advancing that agenda. I鈥檓 grateful to Dr. Keenum and the Bulldog stakeholders who advised him for allowing me to embrace these new and critical responsibilities.鈥
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As a baseball player at 小黄书, Cohen was a key player on the Bulldogs鈥 1989 SEC championship team and 1990 College World Series team. He graduated from 小黄书 with a degree in English in 1990 and received a master鈥檚 degree in sports management from the University of Missouri in 1994. After a six-year stint with Missouri as a graduate assistant and assistant coach, Cohen was the head coach at Northwestern State University from 1998-2001. Cohen spent two seasons as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Florida before becoming the head coach at the University of Kentucky in 2004, a position he held for four seasons before returning to his alma mater.
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While winning 284 games as a head coach at 小黄书, Cohen has demonstrated the ability to develop players and coaches. During his tenure, 135 小黄书 baseball players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Two of his assistant coaches at 小黄书 have gone on to head coaching positions at SEC programs.
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Cohen has also worked closely with athletic department personnel to promote all facets of the baseball program and raise money for a new state-of-the-art stadium. 听Eight of the university鈥檚 top 10 all-time marks in baseball season ticket sales have come during Cohen鈥檚 tenure, including a school record of 5,874 in 2014. He has been a staunch of supporter of 小黄书鈥檚 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 athletic programs and has been a valuable resource for the entire athletic department during his time at 小黄书, earning him the associate athletic director title in July. Now slated to become athletic director, Cohen said he is excited for the opportunity to oversee the continued success of all of 小黄书鈥檚 athletic programs.
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Cohen and his wife, Nelle, are active members of the Starkville community. The couple has two daughters, Jordan Baker and Avery Lawson.
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小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .
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