Dan Cocchi joined the Rutgers lacrosse coaching staff in 2018 as an assistant coach, serving as the team's defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. He came to RU from Towson, where he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach.
In Cocchi's first season on the staff (2019), Rutgers won seven games, highlighted by a 14-6 victory at No. 4 Ohio State that tied for the program's highest ever ranked road victory. On the defensive end of the field, goalkeeper Max Edelmann was named a Third Team All-American, First Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Year. Cocchi also mentored defenseman Kyle Pless to Second Team All-Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-American honors. Following the season, Cocchi served as an assistant coach for the Division I/II South Team in the 2019 USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game. Rutgers was sixth in the nation with 14.27 saves per game.
Cocchi was on the Towson coaching staff from 2011 to 2018. During that time, the Tigers made four NCAA Tournament appearances and won five NCAA Tournament games, including a berth in the 2017 NCAA Semifinals. Three times in the last four years the Tigers had a top-six defense in the nation. Towson had the best scoring defense in the nation in 2016 at 7.26 goals per game allowed, were fourth best in the nation in 2017 at 7.65 and were sixth in 2015 at 7.72. Under Cocchi's guidance, the Tigers' produced nine All-Americans, three CAA Defensive Players of the Year and 34 CAA Award winners while he was on staff.
Cocchi was part of a Towson staff in 2017 that was named the CAA Coaching Staff of the Year. He was also an IMCLA Assistant Coach of the Year finalist that season.
Prior to coaching at Towson, Cocchi served as the coach of the University of North Florida. He also coached high school lacrosse in Florida and at Butler University.
As a player, he was a four-year starter at Towson, making a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2003, including a berth in the 2001 NCAA semifinals. He was a three-time All-American, and was the 2003 CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Selected by the Bridgeport Barrage in the fourth round of the 2003 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft, Cocchi enjoyed a 10-year MLL 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.
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.
Cocchi is married to the former Kristen Lyons. The couple has three sons, Aidan, Brendan and Camdan.
