CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Jeff Cooney has been named the Supervisor of Football Officials for the Patriot League and Ivy League when the joint announcement was made on Wednesday. Cooney will serve in the role and work with the six-conference officiating alliance that will include the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Big South, Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Ivy and Patriot Leagues as announced by the ACC last week.
 
In his new role, Cooney will assign officials for the Patriot League and Ivy League in addition to working with League coaches and institutions to evaluate game performances on a weekly basis during the season and communicate rules changes and interpretations. He will also be tasked with coordinating educational opportunities for officials and coaches on the intricacies of collegiate officiating. He will work under the direction of Dennis Hennigan, the Supervisor of Football Officials for the Atlantic Coast Conference and the administrator of the officiating alliance.
 
The alliance will enable all six conferences to work together on a wide range of officiating matters, including scheduling, training, development, recruitment, retention and evaluation. The long-term mission of the alliance is to increase proficiency and consistency among veteran officials across the collegiate football officiating landscape and to facilitate the entry of younger officials into the profession.
 
“Jeff has built an excellent reputation as an on-field official during his years of service and comes to the League highly recommended by coaches, officials and administrators across the collegiate football landscape,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. “Those qualities combined with his unique management and supervisory experience make him an outstanding resource for our member football programs.”
 
Cooney has served as an on-field official for 35 years, including 25 seasons of collegiate experience with 10 years in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and nine years in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). He was assigned to FCS Playoff games from 2002 and 2011, including the 2011 FCS National Championship Game. Cooney was a member of the officiating crew for two American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship Games and three bowl games; the 2016 Hawaii Bowl, 2015 Heart of Dallas Bowl and 2014 Bahamas Bowl.
 
Away from the field, Cooney boasts more than 25 years of supervisory and management experience primarily in banking operations. He retired as the Senior Vice President at Bank of America in December 2015 after spending 26 years within the organization in various roles. He graduated from Goldey Beacom College in 1986 with B.S. in accounting. 
 
“I am very excited for this opportunity to join The Ivy and Patriot Leagues as the Supervisor of Football Officiating,” Cooney said. “I look forward to working with administrators, coaches and student-athletes to ensure that the football officiating program continues to meet the high standards of both Leagues.”
 
Cooney replaces Jim Maconaghy, who stepped down as the CIP (CAA, Ivy, Patriot League) Coordinator of Officials in December 2018 after 14 years of exemplary service.
 
TRANSACTION
PATRIOT LEAGUE – Announced the hiring of Jeff Cooney as Supervisor of Football Officials.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE 
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.