March 16, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Andrew Cohen, a 14-year college football coaching veteran who was part of Bucknell's 1996 Patriot League championship team, will return to Bucknell as defensive coordinator, head coach Tim Landis announced. Cohen begins his second stint with the Bison this week and will be with the team when spring practice begins on March 25.
Cohen was a member of Tom Gadd's staff at Bucknell from 1995-99. He coached the defensive line in 1995, 1996 and 1999 and the outside linebackers in 1997 and 1998. At both positions, Cohen coached some of the best defensive players in recent Bucknell history, including an All-American and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in Ed Burman, who broke the school record with 14.5 sacks in 1995.
Cohen worked with a Bison defense that set a school record with 47 sacks in 1999 and ranked No. 1 in the league in total defense four out of five years. His tenure at Bucknell was highlighted by the 1996 Patriot League title and a record-setting 10-1 campaign the following year. Known as an excellent recruiter during his days in Lewisburg, Cohen also served as assistant strength and conditioning coordinator.
"I am very excited to have Andrew back with us at Bucknell," said Landis. "To me, his previous experience here is very important, because he understands the fabric of the university and the traditions of Bucknell Football. He was here for five of the program's most successful years ever. I am also impressed that since leaving Bucknell Andrew has continued to coach at fine academic institutions with good football programs. He has worked hard to become a more experienced and knowledgeable coach."
In March of 2000, Cohen left Bucknell to become the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Stony Brook. As the only full-time defensive coach on the staff, he helped lead the Seawolves to an 8-2 record in 2002, buoyed by a defense that ranked No. 3 nationally in points allowed and No. 6 in yards allowed.
From 2003-05 Cohen served as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Fordham, one of Bucknell's Patriot League rivals. Working under head coach Ed Foley, a Bucknell graduate, for the last two of those seasons, Cohen mentored a number of all-conference defensive linemen, including Aki Jones who went on to play with the Washington Redskins.
Last season, Cohen was the defensive line coach at Columbia under first-year head coach Norries Wilson, who was also on the Bucknell coaching staff from 1995-98. In 2006 the Lions finished with a 5-5 record, its best in 10 years, while leading the Ivy League in scoring defense (16.3), takeaways (25) and defensive touchdowns (6).
A 1993 graduate of Marist College where he was a two-year starter at linebacker, Cohen received a master's degree from Stony Brook in December 1994. While pursuing the latter degree, he also got his start in coaching as a defensive line coach, video coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator at Stony Brook.
Cohen re-joins a Bucknell team that finished 6-5 last fall, a school-record five-win improvement over the previous season. The Bison are expected to return eight starters on defense and seven on offense next season.