John Cohen (baseball)
John Cohen (born September 21, 1966) is the former head baseball coach of Mississippi State University and current Athletic Director. He played college baseball at Mississippi State (1988–1990) after spending a single season at Birmingham Southern College in Alabama (1986). He also played on the 1990 College World Series team his senior year at Mississippi State. He then spent two years in the Minnesota Twins farm system (1990–1991). He served as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri from 1992 to 97 before becoming head coach at Northwestern State University from 1998 to 2001, where he won two conference championships. He moved on to the University of Florida for two seasons (2002–2003) as an assistant before accepting the head coaching job at the University of Kentucky. On June 6, 2008, Cohen was announced as the head coach of his alma mater, Mississippi State.
_(cropped).jpg.webp) Cohen at Columbus Air Force Base in 2011 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Athletic Director |
| Team | Mississippi State |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 21, 1966 Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Alma mater | Mississippi State University (BS) University of Missouri (MS) |
| Playing career | |
| 1986 | Birmingham–Southern |
| 1987–1990 | Mississippi State |
| 1990–1991 | Visalia Oaks |
| Position(s) | First baseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1992–1997 | Missouri (asst.) |
| 1998–2001 | Northwestern State |
| 2002–2003 | Florida (asst.) |
| 2004–2008 | Kentucky |
| 2009–2016 | Mississippi State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2016 | Mississippi State (assoc. AD) |
| 2016–present | Mississippi State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 605–399–2 (.602) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1998 Southland Conference 2001 Southland Conference 2006 Southeastern Conference 2012 SEC Tournament 2013 College World Series Runner-up 2016 Southeastern Conference Governor's Cup Record 4–4 | |
| Awards | |
| 1998 Southland Conference Coach of the Year 2001 Southland Conference Coach of the Year 2005 USA Baseball National Team 2006 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year 2006 ABCA South Region Coach of the Year 2006 National Coach of the Year 2013 ABCA South Region Coach of the Year 2016 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year | |
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern State Demons (Southland Conference) (1998–2001) | |||||||||
| 1998 | Northwestern State | 40–20 | 15–8 | 1st | |||||
| 1999 | Northwestern State | 38–21 | 18–9 | 2nd | |||||
| 2000 | Northwestern State | 30–26 | 14–13 | T–5th | |||||
| 2001 | Northwestern State | 38–17 | 19–8 | 1st | |||||
| Northwestern State: | 146–84 (.635) | 66–38 (.635) | |||||||
| Kentucky Wildcats (Southeastern Conference) (2004–2008) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Kentucky | 24–30 | 7–23 | 6th (East) | |||||
| 2005 | Kentucky | 29–27 | 7–22 | 6th (East) | |||||
| 2006 | Kentucky | 44–17 | 20–10 | 1st (East) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2007 | Kentucky | 34–19–1 | 13–16–1 | 5th (East) | |||||
| 2008 | Kentucky | 44–19 | 16–14 | 3rd (East) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| Kentucky: | 175–112–1 (.609) | 63–85–1 (.426) | |||||||
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (2009–present) | |||||||||
| 2009 | Mississippi State | 25–29 | 9–20 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2010 | Mississippi State | 23–33 | 6–24 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2011 | Mississippi State | 38–25 | 14–16 | T–2nd (West) | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| 2012 | Mississippi State | 40–24 | 16–14 | T–2nd (West) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2013 | Mississippi State | 51–20 | 16–14 | 3rd (West) | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 2014 | Mississippi State | 39–24 | 18–12 | 3rd (West) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2015 | Mississippi State | 24–30 | 8–22 | 7th (West) | |||||
| 2016 | Mississippi State | 44–18–1 | 21–9 | 1st (West) | NCAA Super Regional (#6 National Seed) | ||||
| Mississippi State: | 284–203–1 (.583) | 108–130 (.454) | |||||||
| Total: | 605–399–2 (.602) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Coaching tree
Assistant coaches under John Cohen who are, or have been, head coaches include Gary Henderson, Nick Mingione, and Butch Thompson.[1]
Personal life
John Cohen is originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as was his wife, Nelle Bashinsky Cohen.[2] They have a son and a daughter.[3] Cohen is Jewish.[4][5]
References
- "John Cohen's coaching tree is atop the SEC". The Clarion–Ledger. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- "John Cohen". hailstate.com. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- "Cohen brings passion as athletic director". MSU Alumnus. Spring 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- "Cohen leads Mississippi State into College World Series finals". Southern Jewish Life Magazine. June 23, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- "Jewish in the Golden Triangle: Although few in numbers, Mississippi Jews do not feel ostracized". The Commercial Dispatch. November 3, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2019.