Toby Trotter

New Southwestern Oklahoma State University football coach Dan Cocannouer has made his first step in re-shaping the Bulldogs coaching staff with the announcement that Toby Trotter has been added as a full-time assistant coach.

Trotter, 31, will coach the defensive secondary and be in charge of coordinating the Bulldogs recruiting efforts. Trotter will join current assistant Todd Helton, the lone full-time holdover from the previous staff. Cocannouer said he expects to add one or two more assistant in the next few days.

"I am really excited about Coach Trotter coming here and being part of our staff," Cocannouer said. "He is a coach of high character and integrity. He will do an outstanding job and is eager to help us build a winning attitude and philosophy . He is a tremendous football coach, and most importantly, he is a tremendous teacher and mentor of young men."

Trotter coached previously at Southern Nazarene University and Louisiana College where he served as an assistant on both sides of the football. At SNU, he served as defensive secondary coach and recruiting coordinator from 2001 to 2003. During that time, SNU's defenses annually finished among the NAIA ‘s top 15 ranked teams.

At Louisiana College, an NCAA Division III school, Trotter along with head coach Marty Secord helped put together the Wildcats first intercollegiate football team in 2000. Trotter was responsible for developing the passing schemes with the Wildcats receivers.

Most recently, Trotter served as an area representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes while being stationed in the Dallas area. He was responsible for generating full budget needs through the development and cultivation of major donor gifts to the ministry.

He also has experience as a player representative for Sosnick Cobbe Sports Agency where he handled more than two dozen professional baseball clients. He assisted players in the signing of contracts that resulted in negotiated bonuses well over $7 million. Among his clients were young stars Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds, Cliff Pennington, with the Oakland A's and Jesse Chavez with the Pittsburg Pirates.

"I'm very excited to be at SWOSU and to work with Coach Cocannouer," Trotter said. "I look forward to our success in the years to come. It is nice to be able to get back and coach and recruit in the state that I am most familiar with. This promises to be an exciting journey and I am eager to be a part of it."

Trotter, a graduate of Westmoore High School, obtained his bachelor's degree in public relations from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2000.

He and his wife, Cari, have two children, a son, Cade, 3, and a daughter, Ainsley, 1.