David Cohn played baseball and lacrosse as a child and later served as a naval officer, but he discovered his love for coaching along the way. This year he became the new head boys’ lacrosse coach.

“This isn’t just a job for me,” Cohn said.

A Baltimore native, Cohn has a military background. Beginning as a communications officer aboard the USS Jarrett FGG-33, Cohn embarked upon seven years of active duty in the Navy. Throughout his service time, Cohn’s passion for lacrosse was channeled in a new way.

“I had an opportunity to teach and coach in my last tour in the Navy, and that really piqued my interest and got me excited about coaching,” Cohn said.

Following his tour in the Navy, Cohn went on to coach lacrosse at several schools, including Francis Parker High School, Furman University, the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he coached for two years before coming to St. John’s. As Cohn’s career progressed, he formed his personal philosophy on coaching.

“You have to set a standard,” Cohn said. “What’s really important to me is setting that standard high, and whether that’s getting eight to nine wins a year or getting three wins a year, if you meet that standard, you’re going to realize, ‘I can set goals and I can meet them.’”

Cohn focuses on developing athletes into leaders. During a Chapel speech on Oct. 18, Cohn emphasized that good leaders not only lead by example but also encourage their peers to do the same.

“We’re going to add a little toughness, a lot of leadership, and a lot of hard work. It all goes into playing a high level of lacrosse,” Cohn said.

Cohn hopes this mindset will impact students both on and off the field.

“On the field, you learn so much about being a better person,” Cohn said. “If anything, I think the boys are going to be able to go home at night and say, ‘I’m a better person because I play lacrosse at St. John’s.’ ”

Read about the past boys’ lacrosse coach, Sam Chambers, here.