Rod Cocci

Biography

Rod Cocci enters his seventh season as the men’s and women’s throws coach in 2025-26. This is his 10th season with the program overall since joining the men’s staff as a volunteer in 2017. Cocci has over 20 years of coaching experience since beginning his career in the 2001-02 season, and has become known primarily for developing talent. His coaching philosophy places an emphasis on creating detailed individualized throwing and strength training programs based on each athlete’s specific abilities. Since taking over the throws program, Cocci’s student-athletes have rewritten both the men’s and women’s record books. They have put together 13 school record performances and have over 50 inclusions in the Rutgers All-Time Top-10 performance lists across all throwing events. The throws unit is recognized as a nationally competitive program. Under Cocci’s supervision this unit has placed over 40 athletes into the NCAA postseason across all throwing. In addition to this, full event squads have ended the season ranked within USTFCCCA’s national top 20 on a dozen occasions; with men’s javelin finishing in the top 3 multiple times. During his tenure at Rutgers, his throwers have won Big Ten Championships in men’s hammer, men’s javelin, and have reached the podium in all throwing events. In the 2024-25 season, senior Steven Coponi (javelin) led the way for the men. Coponi made an improbable and remarkable return from a significant elbow injury to reach the Big Ten podium for the fourth t