Carmen Cozza
Encyclopedia
Carmen Louis "Carm" Cozza (born June 10, 1930) is a former American football
and baseball
player and coach of football. He served as the head football coach at Yale University
from 1965 to 1996, winning ten Ivy League
championships and compiling a record of 179–119–5. Cozza was named UPI New England Coach of the Year four times and Eastern Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a coach in 2002.
Cozza, the son of Italian immigrants, played quarterback
at Miami University
under coaches Ara Parseghian
and Woody Hayes
, graduating from Miami in 1952. He also played baseball at Miami, and later played for minor league affiliates of the Cleveland Indians
and Chicago White Sox
. Cozza was an assistant football coach at Miami from 1956 to 1962 under his fellow Miami alumnus, John Pont
. When Pont was named head coach at Yale in 1963, Cozza accompanied him there. Cozza became head coach at Yale in 1965 after Pont accepted the head coaching job at Indiana University.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and coach of football. He served as the head football coach at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
from 1965 to 1996, winning ten Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
championships and compiling a record of 179–119–5. Cozza was named UPI New England Coach of the Year four times and Eastern Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
as a coach in 2002.
Cozza, the son of Italian immigrants, played quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
under coaches Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
and Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
, graduating from Miami in 1952. He also played baseball at Miami, and later played for minor league affiliates of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. Cozza was an assistant football coach at Miami from 1956 to 1962 under his fellow Miami alumnus, John Pont
John Pont
John Pont was an American football player and coach. He served as head coach at Miami University, Yale University, Northwestern University and Indiana University. He was the only Indiana University coach to take a team to the Rose Bowl. Later in his career, Pont was recruited to start a football...
. When Pont was named head coach at Yale in 1963, Cozza accompanied him there. Cozza became head coach at Yale in 1965 after Pont accepted the head coaching job at Indiana University.