Cohen was just five months into his job as a State baseball coach. Cohen had never coached a State-level baseball game. Cohen was in the room, so why? Stricklin states, “We wanted his perspective.” We wanted his perspective. We wanted his perspective. John is also so smart. “He broke down each coach and evaluated what they brought to the table. “He is one of my best friends at reading and evaluating others. Here we are, almost eight years later and State has been to six consecutive bowl games and won four. State climbed to No. 1 in 2014 State rose to No. 1 in the country and remained there for five consecutive weeks, a feat that was unprecedented for the Bulldogs. State’s hiring of Mullen was a huge success, despite the downseason in 2016. Cohen was a key part of the success. Stricklin said Cohen was involved in numerous other important decisions over his six-year tenure as State’s athletic director. Today, Cohen was appointed Mississippi State’s 17th Athletic Director. Stricklin praises Cohen, saying that he is “a great A.D.” He has all the attributes and he loves Mississippi State. An athletic director’s job, while similar to a CEO’s, is slightly more difficult. Stricklin says, “You must make objective decisions because many times they are based on peoples’ emotions.” People want you to make changes, even if they don’t make sense long-term, if you have a poor Saturday at football. You might also be asked by the same people to give a raise and sign a long-term deal that is not in the best interests of the team. In the midst all of that emotion, you have to make rational decisions. It is unlike any other job. Everyone else does the work, and you are responsible. It is crucial to be able to communicate well with people – I mean athletes, coaches, staff and boosters. Stricklin was the Florida athletic director. He was also named the best athletic director in the nation for his work at State. When asked to list the three most important attributes of an athletic director, Stricklin listed: * Ability to assess and relate to coaches/staff. * Vision to anticipate what might happen. * Self-confidence to stand firm when things get difficult. He was a trusted advisor and judge, which is why I included him in many of the major State decisions. He was able to see many issues that didn’t involve baseball. His perspective was important to me. His mind is fascinating. His ability to bring up new points that I hadn’t considered was a great thing. John is an intelligent person. I enjoy being around smart people.” No one has ever doubted Cohen’s intelligence, vision, or self-confidence. If you take a look at Stricklin’s three most important attributes as an athletic director, the one that is most relevant to Cohen is the first – basically, people skills. Many view Cohen as aggressive and combative because of his behavior on the baseball diamond. Stricklin stated, “All I can say is that John’s ability for people to relate to him just hasn’t been around them, haven’t spend much time with him.” He doesn’t seem warm, friendly, or approachable. I believe that a lot of it has to do with his personality as a coach. He is a great coach and player. He was and is incredibly competitive. That was something we discussed recently. Cohen stated that “What happens between baseball’s lines and off-the-field events are two very distinct things.” I know that some people view me as being combative due to what they have seen on the field. Cohen believes that managing 11.7 baseball scholarships is the most valuable training an athletic director could receive. Cohen stated, “You’re talking about something that requires people skills.” I believe Cohen’s success or failure will depend on his ability to manage people. This is what an athletic director does: manage people. Scott Stricklin and Greg Byrne, both highly skilled at this, believe Cohen has what is required. Rick Cleveland is Mississippi Today’s sports columnist. Check out his columns as well as his Sports Daily blog. Reach Rick at rcleveland@mississippitoday.org.