Craig Cozart Explained

Craig Cozart
Birth Date:12 March 1974
Alma Mater:UCF '96 (B.A.)
Player Years1:1993–1996
Player Team1:UCF
Coach Years1:1997–2008
Coach Team1:UCF (asst.)
Coach Years2:2008
Coach Team2:UCF (interim)
Coach Years3:2009–2021
Coach Team3:High Point
Overall Record:343–345
Tournament Record:Big South: 14–15
C-USA: 0–2

Craig Cozart (born March 12, 1974) is an American baseball coach and former player. He played college baseball at UCF from 1993 to 1996. He then served as the head coach of the UCF Knights (2008) and[1] High Point Panthers (2009–2021).

Playing career

Cozart played at UCF under head coach Jay Bergman from 1993 to 1996. He was drafted twice, in the 42nd round by the Braves after his junior season and in the 28th round by the Giants after his senior season, but decided not to pursue a professional career. He earned his bachelor's degree from UCF in December 1996.[2] [3]

Coaching career

UCF

Cozart began his coaching career under Bergman immediately after graduating, serving as a student assistant in 1997. In 1998, he became a full assistant coach, a position he held through the 2008 season. From 1997 to 2007, the Knights appeared in five NCAA Tournaments.

Partway through the 2008 season, Bergman resigned amid accusations of sexually harassing a UCF equipment manager. Cozart, by that point the associate head coach, served as the interim head coach for the final 12 games of the season. In that stretch, the team went 4–8, winning a C-USA series against UAB and going 0–2 in the C-USA Tournament.[4]

UCF hired Terry Rooney to replace Bergman following the season. Cozart was told the following day that his contract would not be renewed. Cozart said to media members after he learned the news, "Really the last two months have been a difficult time because of everything that has been involved. But to get the word that 16 years of your life has ended – it's hard to handle still. ... I want to stay in the game. I'm just in the process of figuring out what capacity that will be."[5]

High Point

Cozart became the head coach at High Point ahead of the 2009 season, after Sal Bando Jr. resigned. From 2009 to 2014, High Point has had two 30-win seasons. It has finished as high as third in the Big South Tournament, doing so in 2010, 2012, and 2014.[6] [7] [8]

On June 2, 2021 High Point University announced that the university and Cozart had mutually agreed to, "a change in the leadership of the baseball program" effectively immediately. [9]

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Cozart's records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[10] [11] [12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Craig Cozart. HighPointPanthers.com. High Point Athletic Communications. August 18, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082742/http://www.highpointpanthers.com/coaches.aspx?rc=466&path=baseball. August 19, 2014. dead.
  2. Web site: #38 Craig Cozart . UCFKnights.com . August 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084513/http://www.ucfknights.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/cozart_craig00.html . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  3. Web site: Craig Cozart . Baseball-Reference.com . August 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084230/http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=cozart000cra . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  4. News: Fowler . Jeremy . Hoppes . Lynn . Sources: UCF Baseball Coach Harassed Equipment Manager . August 18, 2014 . OrlandoSentinel.com . May 3, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090546/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-05-03/news/ucfcoach03_1_jay-bergman-professional-manner-university . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  5. News: Hightower . Kyle . New UCF Baseball Coach Terry Rooney Dismisses Assistants . August 18, 2014 . OrlandoSentinel.com . June 17, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083622/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-06-17/sports/ucfbase17_1_cozart-bryan-peters-terry-rooney . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  6. News: Hightower . Kyle . Former Knights Assistant Cozart the New Head Coach at High Point . August 18, 2014 . OrlandoSentinel.com . June 30, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085524/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-06-30/sports/sportsblogB30_1_cozart-butch-thompson-head-coach . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  7. News: Mercurio to Coach at High Point . August 18, 2014 . BangorDailyNews.com . Associated Press . September 8, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220617113814/https://www.bangordailynews.com/2010/09/08/sports/mercurio-to-coach-at-high-point/ . June 17, 2022 . dead .
  8. News: Lyon . Austin . Edgewater first baseman Zach Vandergrift commits to High Point University . August 18, 2014 . MyNews13.com . May 31, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819091719/http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bhsn/2013/5/31/edgewater_first_base.html . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  9. Web site: LOCAL ROUNDUP: HPU parts ways with Cozart.
  10. Web site: NCAA Database. NCAA.org. August 9, 2014.
  11. Web site: 2013 Big South Baseball Record Book . Big South Conference . August 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714123157/http://issuu.com/bigsouthpr/docs/baseball_record_book_2013/1?e=1996766%2F1002051 . July 14, 2014 . dead .
  12. Web site: 2014 High Point Baseball Record Book . High Point Athletic Communications . August 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819091521/http://issuu.com/highpointpanthers/docs/2014_baseball_prospectus/32?e=1514812%2F6690498 . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  13. Web site: 2014 Big South Conference Standings . D1Baseball.com . Jeremy and Cynthia Mills . August 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140603120611/http://www.d1baseball.com/conferences/standings_bigsouth.htm . June 3, 2014 . dead .

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