Carmen Cozza

Bio

Despite the brilliance of his record, the influence of Carm Cozza's coaching career cannot be expressed in mere wins and losses. He has been called, "the ultimate teacher-coach" whose basic values of "hard work, fair play, loyalty and compassion define his legacy." In 32 seasons at Yale, Cozza was a seven-time AFCA District Coach of the Year Award winner. His teams won or shared 11 Ivy League titles and in one remarkable stretch between 1974 and 1981 won seven of eight Ivy crowns. In nearly half of his seasons (14) he lost two or fewer games. His 1968 team finished undefeated and featured players such as Calvin Hill and Brian Dowling. Cozza retired with a 179-119-5 record. His win total placed him12th among active Division I coaches. In addition to producing 118 All-Ivy League players, his influence inspired five NFF Scholar-Athletes and seven Rhodes Scholars. Cozza himself was influenced and inspired to enter coaching after playing for both Ara Parseghian and Woody Hayes at Miami (Ohio). After coaching in high school and at Miami as an assistant, he moved to Yale to assist John Pont succeeding Pont when he moved to Indiana.