Cornell announced Tuesday that Dean Jackson has been named an assistant coach for the school’s women’s team.
Jackson joins the staff after most recently serving as the interim head coach at Penn State during the 2016-17 season.
“We are very excited to hire Dean Jackson,” Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh said in a statement. “We had a very strong pool of candidates, but Dean has proven himself everywhere he has coached. He has both head coaching and assistant coaching experience in both NCAA Division I and Division III hockey. He is highly respected throughout NCAA hockey. We are looking forward to having him on our staff.”
Jackson joined the Nittany Lions’ staff as an assistant coach prior to last season, then took over as interim head coach in January. From 2012 to 2016, Jackson was the head women’s coach at Elmira.
“I am extremely excited and honored to be a part of the Cornell University women’s hockey staff,” Jackson added. “Cornell University has a storied tradition of academic and athletic excellence, and I look forward to continue the tradition with the women’s hockey program.”
In his four years at the helm at Elmira, Jackson amassed an overall record of 94-19-4. He became the fastest coach to record 50 wins in program history, reaching that mark in just 63 games. After taking over the Soaring Eagles in 2012-13, Jackson led the program to its third NCAA Division III championship and became the first women’s coach, in any division, to lead a team to a national championship without a single All-America selection.
Jackson went on to lead the program to four straight NCAA tournament appearances, making a return to the NCAA championship during the 2014-15 season. While at Elmira, Jackson was named the 2015 AHCA Division III National Coach of the Year, ECAC West Conference Coach of the Year and he was an AHCA National Coach of the Year finalist in 2013 and 2016.
Prior to his stint as head coach of the women’s hockey program at Elmira, Jackson was an assistant coach for the men’s team from 2007 to 2012. In that span, he helped guide the Soaring Eagles to five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and one trip to the Frozen Four in 2008.
Jackson had a stellar four-year playing career with the Soaring Eagles from 1999 to 2003. He was named the ECAC West Rookie of the Year in 1999, earned the ECAC West All-Conference Player and ECAC West Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2003, and he was a member of the 100 Point Club. Additionally, Jackson was a four-year member of the golf team.
Following his career at Elmira, Jackson played four seasons of professional hockey, skating for the Elmira Jackals of the United Hockey League and the Fayetteville Fireantz and Richmond Renegades of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
