Steve was born and raised in New York City attending Stuyvesant HS then Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He had a notable career as a mechanical engineer in the design and construction of power plants.

With over 50 years involvement in rugby, Steve Cohen has been the catalyst in developing player safety, refereeing and promoting the game at the grassroots level. USA Rugby Eagle, Steve Hiatt, has said that “No conversation could take place regarding administrators and contributors to American Rugby without Steve’s name being mentioned.”

Among his many contributions was pioneering rugby safety by publishing the “Safer Rugby Program” to promote and encourage safe rugby practices.

Steve’s work on the USA Rugby Collegiate Committee led to the creation of the Division 2 playoffs. He formed the National Small College Rugby Organization to serve Division 3 which put small colleges on the map and gave them a platform to grow and succeed as well as inspiring coaches and players. NSCRO was rebranded as National Collegiate Rugby in 2020 and now serves nearly 700 men’s and women’s college teams.

Steve refereed for nearly 40 years and was a charter member of the USARFU Referees & Laws Committee.

Steve supported the growth of women’s rugby as head referee for the first five Women’s National Championships, writing articles for Rugby Magazine and providing training for women referees.