Jeff Cook ’74 has devoted nearly two decades to strengthening rugby at Gettysburg College, making an enduring impact on both the women’s and men’s programs.
A 1974 graduate of Gettysburg, Cook returned in 2008 as head coach of the women’s rugby club and immediately guided the Bullets to the Division III championship match. Over the next decade, Gettysburg won 72 matches, captured the Tier Two title in 2016, and finished as Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union runner-up in 2017.
In 2018, Cook coached both the women’s and men’s clubs before focusing his attention on the men’s program, which he continues to lead. His tenure has included multiple winning campaigns and a Challenge Cup championship in 7s competition in the spring of 2026. With more than 70 victories with the women and more than 80 with the men, Cook is the winningest coach in the history of both programs.
Cook began playing rugby in 1979 with Old Gaelic Rugby Club and went on to serve as a longtime player, captain, and coach. He helped Old Gaelic win five Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union championships and reach the Division III national playoffs in 2006. His remarkable playing longevity included scoring a try in five different decades and competing into his late 60s.
Beyond rugby, Cook built a distinguished career in law and public service. A 1977 graduate of Duke University School of Law, he served for decades as Adams County’s chief public defender while maintaining a private practice. He represented thousands of clients, tried more than 100 cases, handled numerous homicide cases, and served as an adjunct professor at Dickinson School of Law. Cook has also been deeply involved in local sports media as a Gettysburg Times sports writer, television host on Adams Community Television, and play-by-play and color analyst for high school football and basketball for WGET/ESPN 1320. His contributions to rugby and sports media earned him induction into the Adams County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
A political science graduate of Gettysburg, Cook played four seasons of football for the Bullets, earning three varsity letters at tight end and split end. He shares his enduring connection to Gettysburg with his wife, Nancy Lorenson Cook ’75.
