Six years ago, John Cohen helped bring Dan Mullen to Mississppi State

[jbcarol]

At the suggestion of then-assistant athletic director Scott Stricklin, former AD Greg Byrne included Cohen in Mississippi State's football coaching search.

"He was able to forge a relationship there," Byrne said. "And the interest that each coach had in the other coach's sport, there was even more of a natural bond."

When the trio spoke with Mullen for the first time, Cohen remained silent, but his fingers continuously punched the keys on his BlackBerry as he took notes. Bryne then spoke with Mullen privately until around 2:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites in Atlanta. He knew he wanted Mullen but asked for thoughts from Stricklin and Cohen.

"I'm thinking, 'Boy, they're going to love this guy.' And they both came back and said, 'He was awful. He's not the guy for us,' " Byrne said. "I was sitting there thinking, 'What?'

"They were just pulling my leg."

The teams share a weight room inside the Leo W. Seal football complex. Each time Mullen runs into 6-foot-5, 275-pound Wes Rea, the coach reminds the first baseman of his potential as an offensive lineman.

The football schedule doesn't allow for Mullen to attend as many baseball games as he'd like. But technology keeps him close. Mullen blew up Stricklin's phone during the College World Series finals sending texts for updates from Mississippi State's games in Omaha, Neb.

[jbcarol]

C-L Sports ‏@CLSports ·Feb 16
Today in Sports: Mississippi State coach John Cohen picks up 500th career win http://on.thec-l.com/1cfHJpu

Delayed the celebration one day:

C-L Sports ‏@CLSports ·Feb 17
New MSU blog post: Mississippi State climbs in polls even after opening-day loss to Western Carolina http://on.thec-l.com/1gc98I1  #hailstate