Cozen, Sam

Samuel Cozen

Cozen, a member of the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, was Wilt Chamberlain's high school coach.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Dec. 25, 1907 - d. Sept. 1983

Career Highlights:
Before becoming a legendary high school coach in Philadelphia, Cozen was a star player at Temple University. In 1929, he helped the Owls become one of the top rated teams in the nation with a record of 16-4. The following year, they were even better, improving to 18-3.

After his playing days, Sam joined the coaching staff at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia in 1942, coaching junior varsity baseball, and football. He then took over as head coach of the basketball program and coached Wilt Chamberlain. In 1952, the same year Wilt began at Overbrook, Cozen also accepted the head coaching job at Drexel University.

While at Drexel, Cozen won 11 Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship in his 15 years, and led them to the NCAA tournament four times. He retired in 1968 with a record of 213 wins and 94 losses, and is still Drexel's winningest basketball coach. He is 30th all-time in Division II coaching history with a .694 winning percentage.

Origin:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Career Dates:
Cozen played at Temple University, 1929-1930.

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