Joe Brown has led Cortland to an impressive 679-173-3 (.796) combined record, 18 NCAA Division III tournament appearances, 10 World Series showings and 15 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) titles in his first 18 seasons as the Red Dragons’ head coach since assuming the role in 2000. His winning percentage is the best of any active coach nationally (NCAA Divisions I, II or III) with at least 10 years experience, and the second-best all-time among all Division III coaches with 10 years as a head coach.
Brown led Cortland to its first-ever national title in 2015. The Red Dragons finished the season 45-4, including a 5-0 record at the World Series and a 4-0 mark in NCAA regional play, and won the SUNYAC title. Brown was named both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com Division III National Coach of the Year, and he was one of eight finalists for the multi-division Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year award. His 2016 squad tied for third nationally at the World Series and ended the year 43-8, and his 2017 team finished 38-9 and tied for ninth nationally, one win shy of making the World Series.
Brown has been named the ABCA New York Region Coach of the Year 10 times (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015) and the SUNYAC Coach of the Year on six occasions (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2015 and 2016). He won the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York Division III Coach of the Year award in 2009 and 2015 and was the D3baseball.com New York Region Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Thirty of his players have been chosen as All-Americans, including six who were also selected in the professional baseball draft. In all, 19 of Brown’s players have advanced to play professionally, including two selections in the 2006 draft, one in 2007 and one in 2009.
Cortland teams under Brown have reached the 40-win mark seven times, including a school-record 45 wins during the 2015 championship season, and have won at least 30 games on 17 occasions. During Brown's tenure the Red Dragons extended their streak of NCAA tournament appearances to 25 straight years - the longest active run nationally in Division III and the third-best active streak over all NCAA divisions (behind Florida State and Cal State Fullerton).
In 2014, Brown guided Cortland to a 36-10 record, a SUNYAC title and a tie for fifth place nationally at the World Series. In 2013, his team posted a 38-11 record. Cortland won the SUNYAC title and tied for ninth nationally after finishing second at the NCAA Div. III New York Regional. In 2012, Brown led the Red Dragons to a 41-9-1 record, a SUNYAC title and a fourth-place national finish at the World Series.
In 2011, Cortland qualified for the NCAA Div. III playoffs, finished 36-10, won the SUNYAC title and tied for ninth nationally after placing second at the NCAA Div. III New York Regional. In 2010, Brown led Cortland to a 40-10-1 record and a second-place national finish at the NCAA Div. III World Series. The national runner-up showing was Cortland's second, both under Brown, with the first coming in 2005.
In 2009, Brown led Cortland to a 31-14 mark. The Red Dragons won the SUNYAC title and qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs. In 2008, Brown's team enjoyed a 42-5 season that featured a school-record 38-game winning streak. Cortland won the NCAA New York Regional title and tied for seventh place at the World Series. In 2007, Brown guided Cortland to a 42-7 record and a fourth-place national finish with a 2-2 mark at the World Series.
Brown's 2005 squad finished second nationally with a 43-9-1 record. His 2000 and 2001 squads also won NCAA New York Regional titles and tied for fifth nationally each year. His 2003 and 2006 teams each tied for ninth nationally and his 2002 and 2004 teams both tied for 17th.
In 2000, Brown had the best season of any Cortland first-year head baseball coach, leading the Red Dragons to a 36-9 record, an NCAA Division III New York Region title and a tie for fifth place at the World Series. In 2001, his squad finished 34-11, winning a regional title and once again tying for fifth nationally at the World Series. In 2002, Cortland finished the season 31-11 and participated in the NCAA Division III regionals.
In 2003, the Red Dragons were 35-11, advanced to the championship game of the NCAA regionals and finished tied for ninth nationally. In 2004, the Red Dragons finished 29-16 and earned one of three national “Pool C” at-large tournament berths. In 2006, Cortland posted a 39-9 record and advanced to the NCAA regional finals.
Prior to his promotion to head coach, Brown was the top assistant coach and pitching coach for Cortland teams that made seven straight NCAA Division III tournament appearances from 1993 to 1999 and four World Series showings between 1995 and 1999. He also assisted with team recruiting duties. His Cortland hurlers were ranked in the top 25 nationally in team earned run average for five of six seasons between 1994-99. During that time, four Cortland pitchers earned All-America honors and two were drafted professionally.
From 1992-99, Brown was the head coach of the Ithaca Lakers in the summer Northeastern Collegiate Baseball League (NCBL). The most successful coach in league history, he led the Lakers to three league titles, three runner-up finishes and two third-place showings in eight seasons. He coached more than 25 players who moved on to the professional ranks, including major leaguers Brad Lidge and Scott Sauerbeck. Brown returned to summer coaching in 2006 and again in 2008 as the head coach of the New England Collegiate Baseball League's (NECBL) Sanford Mainers. He led the Mainers to the 2008 NECBL title. He coached the NECBL's Vermont Mountaineers four straight summers from 2013-16 and led the team to the 2015 league crown.
Born in Clifton Springs, N.Y., and raised in Maine, Brown moved back to New York and graduated as a three-sport letterwinner from Canandaigua Academy in 1986. He was inducted into the Canandaigua Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, the Section Five Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, and the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. A 1990 graduate of Ithaca College, Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. He played four years of baseball for the Bombers and was a member of the school's 1988 NCAA Division III championship squad.
Upon graduation from Ithaca, he served for one season as adjunct faculty instructor and assistant baseball coach at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua. He earned a Master of Science in Sport Studies, concentrating in sports psychology, from Miami (Ohio) University in 1992 while serving as a graduate teaching assistant and assistant baseball coach for the Division I Red Hawks.
