Jeff Cook Named Penn State Men’s Soccer Coach

Penn State announced on Tuesday the hiring of Jeff Cook as the new head coach of the Nittany Lion men’s soccer team.

He becomes the 12th coach in program history.

Cook takes over for Bob Warming, who retired after coaching the Nittany Lions for eight seasons and taking the team to two conference titles in 2012 and 2013.

“Penn State is regarded as one of this country’s most iconic institutions for its combination of outstanding academics and athletics,” Cook said in a statement. “It’s an honor for me to become a member of the Nittany Lion family. I look forward to meeting and working with the current student-athletes, my new colleagues across the athletic department, the passionate alumni, members of the University faculty and staff, as well as the members of the State College community.” 

Throughout his career, Cook has 27 years overall of coaching experience and worked as a head coach at the Division I level for 17 seasons at Dartmouth and Cincinnati. During his 12-year tenure at Dartmouth, Cook led the Ivy League school to five conference titles. He was previously at Cincinnati from 1996 to 2000 and led the Bearcats to their first NCAA Tournament berth and was Conference USA Coach of the Year.

Cook left Dartmouth in 2013 when he was hired by Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union to help run their youth development program. Cook coached the Union’s under-19 squad and was assistant coach of Bethlehem Steel FC — the Union’s United Soccer League development team — during his time with the organization.

“We are thrilled to have Jeff Cook joining our family as the leader of the Penn State men’s soccer program,” Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said. “Jeff has excelled at all levels during his more than 25 years of coaching and is clearly a great fit for Penn State. We are excited about the experience and leadership Jeff will bring to Penn State and look forward to this next chapter for our men’s soccer program.”