Dave Kotulski is in his sixth season as the Mountain Hawks defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Kotulski came to Lehigh after serving as the defensive coordinator at Patriot League rival Holy Cross during the 2005 season.

Kotulski’s 2010 defense once again led the Patriot League and ranked 13th nationally in sacks with 37, while the Mountain Hawks allowed just over 19 points per game, ranking first in the league and 16th nationally in scoring defense. In addition, the Mountain Hawks ranked second in the Patriot League in rushing and passing defense as well as total defense. Lehigh’s defense did not allow more than 20 points in the Mountain Hawks eight game winning streak from October 9 to November 27.

Nine of Kotulski’s defensive starters earned first or second team All-Patriot League honors, including Lehigh-Lafayette MVP Al Pierce and linebacker Mike Groome and cornerback Jarard Cribbs, who went on to earn All-American laurels. Groome ranked 27th in total tackles, while Cribbs led the league in interceptions and had the most for a Lehigh player since 1986.

During the 2009 season Kotulski oversaw a Lehigh defensive unit that led the entire nation in sacks with 39 and ranked 12th in America in tackles-for-loss with 83. In addition the Mountain Hawks led the Patriot League in pass defense and red zone defense, and ranked second in scoring defense and total defense. Lehigh also shut Georgetown out 27-0 marking the first time since the early 1980’s that the Brown and White shut a team out in three consecutive seasons.

With team success comes individual recognition and Kotulski’s 2009 defense received plenty of it with five Mountain Hawks earning a spot on the All-Patriot League teams, led by Matt Cohen ’09 who was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Cohen also received All-America recognition from four media outlets, including three First-Team mentions, and Cohen and BJ Benning ’09 were named All-Stars by the ECAC.

In 2008, the Mountain Hawks defense led the Patriot League and ranked 26th nationally in sacks with 26, which included a season best eight in Lehigh’s victory over archrival Lafayette, and they paced the league with 18 interceptions. Lehigh also ranked second in the league in scoring defense and rushing defense, and pitched a 19-0 shutout versus Drake in the season opener – marking the first time in nearly a decade Lehigh has posted shut out wins in back-to-back seasons. Six members of Kotulski’s defense were honored with All-Patriot League accolades, including linebacker Matt Cohen who led the league in both sacks and tackles-for-loss, while Tim Diamond ’09 and Brian Jackson ’09 earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season and Quadir Carter ’09 also garnered All-America status.

Kotuslski’s 2007 defense ranked second in the Patriot League and 23rd in America in scoring defense (21.1 ppg) and third in total defense and rushing defense. Kotulski mentored six All-Patriot League selections, including a pair of linebackers, and three All-Americans. One of those All-America selections was linebacker Tim Diamond, who became the first Mountain Hawk since 2004 to register 100+ tackles, and solidified his spot amongst the nation’s best with a 22-tackle performance in Lehigh’s win over eventual Ivy League Champion Harvard in late September.

In 2006, Kotulski coached a Lehigh defense that led the Patriot League in scoring defense (20.2 ppg) and turnover margin (+6), and ranked second in total defense, pass efficiency defense and red-zone defense. That season, the Mountain Hawks placed seven student-athletes on the All-Patriot League teams.

While at Holy Cross, Kotulski’s defensive unit ranked second in the Patriot League in red zone defense, and linebacker Dan Adams ranked third in the league by registering 10.5 tackles per game. As a team, the Crusaders ranked seventh nationally in turnover margin at +1.0 per contest. Kotulski also headed the Holy Cross punt return unit, and the Crusaders led the league and ranked sixth nationally, posting an average of over 16 yards per punt return.

Prior to his arrival at Holy Cross, Kotulski spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Utah State University in the Western Athletic Conference. In 2003, Kotulski was a nominee for the Division I-A national assistant coach of the year award. That year, the Aggies’ total defense improved 64 places in the national rankings, and 63 spots in the passing defense annals.

Kotulski has also made coaching stops at Bucknell University, where he was the interim head coach in 2002, Saint Mary’s College (Calif.), and the University of Utah, where he spent 12 years. In all, Kotulski spent eight years at Bucknell as the defensive coordinator. While at Bucknell, the Bison won the Patriot League title in 1996 and Kotulski coached five first team All-Americans. Before coaching at Bucknell, Kotulski was the defensive coordinator at Saint Mary’s, and he worked with the linebackers and defensive line during his time at Utah under then-head coach Jim Fassel.

A native of Illinois, Kotulski earned his bachelor’s in physical education at New Mexico State University in 1974, where he played as both a linebacker and a center. He has begun work on his master’s from Cal Poly in Pomona, Calif.

Kotulski and his wife, Cissy live in the Lehigh Valley with their two children: David, 22, and Carey, 21.

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Lehigh University Athletics

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