Red Dragon Strong: Brian Tobin ’94

07/13/2018 

Brian Tobin ’94 remembers what drew him to SUNY Cortland as a teenager.

He was a star athlete from Dutchess County, so a spot on the men’s swimming and diving team was one major factor. Tobin would go on to capture 11 individual SUNYAC titles and was an eight-time All-American as a Red Dragon. He’s most proud of helping lead Cortland to the 1992-93 SUNYAC team championship.

Yet it was the atmosphere he felt on a campus tour that made his decision easy.

“I do remember walking through campus and people would look at you and smile and say hello,” Tobin said. “So many people were wearing Cortland apparel, it was obvious that there was a strong sense of community and pride in that community. When people are proud of where they are and what they represent, that’s exciting.”

That was the same feeling that made Tobin come back to SUNY Cortland and decide to run for public office years later.

After he graduated, Tobin earned a master’s degree in recreation management from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He went on to coach the swimming and diving teams at SUNY Potsdam for five seasons and then was a volunteer assistant coach and a physical education lecturer at North Carolina State University.

When the SUNY Cortland swimming coach position opened up in 2002, Tobin returned to take his dream job and to build on that Red Dragon community spirit he felt as a student.

He took that role to heart, first serving as a volunteer on the board of the American Red Cross of Cortland County. As someone who had been a SUNY Cortland student, worked directly with students and lived in the community, Tobin was encouraged to run for office to help forge connections between student renters and city homeowners. He was elected to Cortland City Council in 2008.

“Being a new homeowner and being concerned about home ownership in general, I thought I was uniquely positioned to potentially have an impact and work on some of the issues that student renters were facing as well,” Tobin said.

Elected mayor in 2011, Tobin has continued to strengthen the connections between the College and the city.

“There was a problem and I thought I could help fix it and I ran for office with the intention of helping to bridge what was a little bit of a divide between SUNY Cortland students and the community,” Tobin said. “I wouldn’t say we’ve completely built the bridge, we’re still working on some things, but I think that things are much better than they were 10 years ago.”

Thanks in large part to his leadership, the city recently received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award from New York state that will benefit city residents, business and SUNY Cortland.

Tobin continues to coach swimming and diving at SUNY Cortland. He’ll begin his 17th season at the helm of the Red Dragons’ program this fall.

Whether he’s on the pool deck or at city hall, Tobin has the same goals. He wants the Cortland community, both on campus and off, to be that same welcoming and proud place he recalled from his initial visit.

“Cortland feels like home,” he said. “Cortland is home.”

Throughout SUNY Cortland’s Sesquicentennial, the College is profiling alumni who have made significant and positive impacts on the local community. For more information on 150 years of SUNY Cortland history, visit cortland.edu/150.