Jack Cole has been Messiah College’s Director of Athletics since June 2010. Since assuming the role, the athletics program has continued its tradition of success having won seven team and four individual NCAA Division III national titles and 62 Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth championships. Each year the program has placed in the top thirty of the Learfield Sports Director’s Cup. The program has also seen several positive initiatives which have included a comprehensive five-year strategic plan, new partnerships, additional staffing, facility enhancements, reimagining the Falcon Athletic Network (FAN), and the addition of men’s volleyball.
Facility improvements during Cole’s tenure as Director of Athletics include an in-fill surface for men’s and women’s lacrosse, fitness center, six team rooms, mezzanine seating for men’s and women’s swimming, practice gym, additional training space for wrestling, complete renovation of Hitchcock Arena, and resurfacing projects for field hockey and men’s and women’s tennis.
He has been a member of NACDA and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators since 2010. During Cole’s 34-year tenure at Messiah College, he was a faculty member and department chair and was on the ground level of developing the curriculum for the master’s program in Higher Education with a concentration in College Athletics Leadership.
Cole attended Malone College where he earned a B.A. in history and physical education. He then obtained his master’s in education/sports science from Ashland University.
A native of Carrollton, OH, Jack’s family includes wife, Michelle, daughter Ashley, two sons Tyler and Grant, and two grandchildren Reagan and Cole.
