Southern Nazarene University Athletics

Mike Cochran begins his 10th season at the helm of the Crimson Storm football program. Cochran has compiled an overall record of 40-58 in nine seasons at Southern Nazarene and has an overall mark of 86-70 in 14 years as a collegiate head coach.
 
The 2014 season was the first year of NCAA postseason eligibility. The 2012 season was the first outside NAIA play and 2013 was the first full season in the Great American Conference. 

SNU closed out their time in the NAIA with two of the best seasons in school history in 2010 and 2011.

There was only one way to top the success of the 2010 season and that was to win the Central States Football League Title and make the school’s first appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series and Cochran and staff did just that in 2011. The Crimson Storm posted a program record best at 9-3 and reached the first round the NAIA FCS. SNU won its second CSFL title and Cochran was named the CSFL Coach of the Year for the second straight year. He also had a school-record 15 All-CSFL selections and garnered his second AFCA-NAIA All-American in Michael Hicks. In 2013, Cochran coached Christo Lisika who was invited to the Cleveland Browns Rookie Camp.
 
The Storm also finished at No. 12, a school record, in the NAIA Postseason Top 25 Poll and reached as high as No. 10 during the regular season.

The 2010 season was nearly as good as the 2011 season. SNU finished No. 24 in the final regular season NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll; a first in program history. The Storm went 7-4 on the season, tying the school's record for wins in a single season and posted the best conference mark in school history at 4-1. The Crimson Storm were also in the top five in the NAIA all season in total offense.

In his first season at Southern Nazarene, Cochran guided the Crimson Storm to a 7-3 record and followed that up with a 6-4 mark in 2007. Cochran suffered his first losing season as a head coach as the Crimson Storm went 3-8 in 2008. Cochran and the Storm rebounded with a 6-5 overall record and a second place finish in the Central States Football League in 2009.

Prior to coming to SNU, Cochran was the head coach at SNU’s sister Nazarene school, MidAmerica Nazarene. In five years at the helm of the Pioneers program, Cochran compiled a 46-12 record and guided MNU to the NAIA national playoffs three times in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

In 2005, Cochran led the Pioneers to a 7-3 record and MidAmerica finished 19th in the final NAIA national rankings and was ranked as high as No. 4 nationally.

In five years at MidAmerica, Cochran led the Pioneers to two Heart of America Conference Championships, in 2002 and 2003, and was twice named the Heart of America Conference Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003. Cochran was also the 2003 AFCA Region Four Coach of the Year.

Cochran grew up in Oklahoma, attending Windsor Hills Elementary, Mayfield Junior High School, and Putnam City West High School. Cochran played football at PC West, two years of which were spent playing under former SNU Offensive Coordinator and local high school coaching legend, Mike Little.

After graduating from PC West, Cochran went on to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1991. Cochran was a four-year letterman for Bethany (Kan.), where he played from 1986-89. Cochran obtained his Master of Science degree in marriage and family therapy from Friends University in Wichita, Kan., in 1993.

Cochran began his coaching career in 1989, serving as an assistant coach at Bethany College, where he coached the offensive line and coordinated recruiting visits for the Swedes. Cochran stayed at Bethany until 1991 and resumed his coaching career in 1993, taking an assistant coaching position at MidAmerica Nazarene.

At MNU, Cochran served in stints as the linebacker coach and the offensive line coach until 2000, when he was named the new head coach. At MidAmerica, Cochran also served as an adjunct professor, and was the Director of Admissions for the Division of Innovative Adult Education. Cochran was an Academic Coordinator for the Division of Innovative Adult Education before taking the head coaching position.

Mike and his wife, Melinda, have three children: two sons, Cole and Bryton, and a daughter, Anna.