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Dan Cocchi Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator Email:  dcocchi@towson.edu

A former All-America defenseman for the Tigers, Dan Cocchi serves as the Tigers' defensive coordinator.

In 2013, the Tigers ranked as high as 14th in the nation in scoring defense, and senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage earned USILA All-American honors and finished the season ranked in the top 10 in saves per game and save percentage.

"Dan was a great player at Towson and what better person for our young men to learn from than a Towson all-American and a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) All-Star?" said Nadelen. "His experiences as a player and a coach at many different levels are a great benefit for our lacrosse program.

A four-year starter for the Tigers, Cocchi led the Tigers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2003, including a berth in the 2001 NCAA semifinals. In addition, he was a member of two conference championship teams as the Tigers won the 2001 America East title and the 2003 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship.

After playing in 10 games as a freshman for Coach Tony Seaman, Cocchi appeared in all 18 games and ranked second on the team with 112 ground balls in 2001, the fifth-highest single-season total in school history. A second-team USILA All-America selection, he was one of four Tigers to earn first-team All-America East Conference notice and was named to the America East All-Tournament Team.

In 2002, he helped the Tigers post a 7-5 record in their first season in the CAA. He earned honorable mention USILA All-America honors after ranking eighth in the nation in ground balls with a 6.58 average. A first-team All-CAA selection, he also scored a goal with three assists.

Honored as the 2003 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, Cocchi led the Tigers to their first CAA championship with a 9-6 record, including a perfect 5-0 mark in the league. An honorable mention All-America selection, he posted 55 ground balls in 15 games while contributing 20 caused turnovers as the Tigers reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

Cocchi, who played in 55 career games for the Tigers, ranks second in school history with 283 career ground balls.

Selected by the Bridgeport Barrage in the fourth round of the 2003 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft, Cocchi has enjoyed a 10-year Major League Lacrosse career, including five seasons with the Long Island Lizards. In 2005, he helped the Baltimore Bayhawks win the MLL title and was selected to play in the 2006 MLL All-Star Game as a member of the Los Angeles Riptide. He has been to the last two MLL Championship games, with Long Island (2011) and Denver (2012).

Prior to joining the Tigers, Cocchi spent six years as a teacher at Wadsworth Elementary School in Palm Coast, Fla.

In addition, he spent two years as the head coach at the University of North Florida, which played in the MCLA. The Ospreys posted a 4-6 record in each of Cocchi's two seasons at the helm. Cocchi also spent three years as the head boys' lacrosse coach at Matanzas High School.

Cocchi graduated from Towson in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and received a master's degree in educational technology from Butler University in 2005 while coaching the Bulldogs' men's lacrosse team with former Tiger assistant coach Stan Ross.
Cocchi is married to the former Kristen Lyons, who graduated from Towson in 2004.