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It is said that people who go into the world of college athletic communications/media relations/sports information or whatever we want to call ourselves nowadays, are true sport fans at heart. That we love sports so much that even though we couldn’t play them past, well, Little League in some cases, we just had to find a way to make spor
ts our lives. And so, we entered this world, the world of college media relations.
That is the case with Mark Cohen, assistant athletic director for
media relations at TCU. Cohen is being honored for his 25-year membership in the athletic communications profession, a career quite frankly built on hard work, dedication and excellence.
Cohen grew up in Orange County, Calif., and loved playing baseball as a child.
He got his first taste of sports information, as it was called then, as
a student at Cal State Fullerton. By the time he was an upperclassman, Cohen was an assistant working with the school’s highly successful baseball team. He moved on to serve an internship at the University of Houston before he got his big break and first full-time job at Wofford College, a small liberal arts school clear across the country in Spartanburg, S.C.
Cohen encountered many things at Wofford that set him well on his way to being a legend in the field. And I mean legend.
I was 19 years old and trying to find my calling when a young professional just starting out gave me my break entering my sophomore year of college at Wofford. I learned from Cohen as a student. Later, I learned from him as his assistant and then as a colleague when I took over the media relations office at USC Spartanburg, now USC Upstate.
I still learn from Cohen to this day and at least once or twice a year call him for advice and to talk things through on issues. That is why he is a legend to me and many others. All of the people who have learned the profession from Cohen, and there have been many, still use what he taught us, still stay in touch with him and remain loyal.
Cohen met his wife, Sarah, at Wofford and the two have embarked on a life full of love and excitement. They have also been stalwart in the care of their three sons, David, Adam and Steven. David has followed in his father’s footsteps and is a student assistant in the TCU media relations office. As good as his dad is at recalling stats, former players and records, David tops him and then some. I wonder why that is. I can tell you…he learned from the best.
Cohen and Sarah have also worked very hard at raising Adam and Steven, both of whom have autism. I am sure it hasn’t been easy working in a profession as time demanding as college athletics is and having to raise a family, let alone having two children who require an even greater amount of attention and care. But, they are dedicated parents and their love of their children and each other carries them through.
While at Wofford, Cohen was fortunate to work under then-athletic director Danny Morrison. Morrison, who is now the president of the Carolina Panthers, worked with the college administrators on a vision that would come to fruition over time, moving Wofford from the NCAA Division II ranks to Division I membership. While Cohen doesn’t get any credit for the transition Wofford’s athletic
department made, he certainly is the main reason why Wofford has cemented itself in Spartanburg and has garnered so much support. He knew what the mission of Wofford was, and is, and how the athletic department fit into that mission. And he worked hard to make sure the Spartanburg community and beyond not only heard the story of Wofford Athletics, but knew it and remembered it.
And so as Morrison moved on to become the commissioner of the Southern Conference and then athletic director at TCU, he so valued Cohen’s
work and the person he is that he asked Cohen to move to Fort Worth to head the media relations efforts for the H
orned Frogs.
Now, Cohen had been at Wofford for many years. He and Sarah had made a life in Spartanburg and their children were secure in their
surroundings and settled. But there was also an opportunity. TCU just happens to have a renowned autism lab and program that studies the early social and emotional development of children with autism. Opportunity. Not only did Cohen have the opportunity to take his skills to the next level, but TCU afforded his family the opportunity for his children to thrive in a nurturing environment. So the Cohens packed up and moved to Fort Worth where his talents were on full display. He joined the TCU staff in August 2005.
In his Wofford tenure, the Wofford's football media guide covers received "Best in the Nation" honors three times from CoSIDA and the Terriers' football game program covers were also named "Best in the Nation" on three occasions. Cohen has received a total of 11 "Citations for Excellence in Publications." He also was honored with the 2009 Scoop Hudgins Outstanding SID Award from the All-American Football Foundation.
Personally, I know the TCU football program has been strong for a long time. I know that Coach Patterson has been widely successful throughout his career. But, I can’t help but think that with Cohen selling and telling the story of TCU football to the likes of ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and countless other outlets, maybe just maybe it helped boost them a couple spots here and there in the polls and even greater in the perception of the program.
When you constantly hear how good someone is, you believe it. A good team can become great and a great team can become elite. Perception is everything and while the football team’s efforts on the field certainly merited their place among the elite programs, I can’t help but think, no I know, Cohen had at least a little something to do with it.
I could rundown a long list of names of people who have worked for Cohen over the years and who have gone on to either serve as media relations directors or assistants at high-level programs who know the quality of the work he does.
Again, there are many. But I can only really speak for myself. I am nowhere near the media relations director Cohen is and never will be. I take solace, though, that I learned from the best and use many of the tools he taught me in my job to this day. Everyone has someone they have looked up to in their lives and strive to be like. Cohen is that person for me in our beloved profession. If I am even a quarter of the professional Cohen is, I think I am doing alright. And that should say something about Cohen, his dedication to his job and profession and the body of work he has as we celebrate his 25 years.
Mark Cohen is and always will be the best.