Judo Olympian, beloved teacher
A lot of judo schools were empty Wednesday morning.
The sensei — teachers — were making pilgrimages to Buffalo Grove to attend funeral services for Irwin Cohen, one of America’s pioneers of judo.
Mr. Cohen took a sport that had been incubated in Japan and learned it so expertly and fought so fiercely, that he went to Munich in 1972 on the U.S. Olympic team.
A world-class competitor doesn’t always make for a good coach. But the judo clubs that he and his brother, Steve, operated in Mundelein and Chicago have produced a string of champions.
Mr. Cohen, 60, died Monday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to a former student, Bob Berland, who credits his sensei with molding him into the first American to win a silver medal in Olympic judo at the 1984 games in Los Angeles.
Mr. Cohen suffered complications from a stroke after a long struggle with kidney disease, Berland said.
“He was a tough guy. Strong character; strong body,” said Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a former U.S. senator from Colorado. “He was a fierce competitor.” Camp- bell was a member of the historic U.S. Olympic judo team that went to Tokyo in 1964 — the first year judo was included in the games.
When he watched the martial-arts skill of Mr. Cohen and his brother, Campbell said it brought to mind a special phrase.
“They got game, as they say.”
Mr. Cohen’s death prompted condolences and accolades from people throughout the tight-knit U.S. judo community, which is relatively small compared with other sports, especially at the elite level.
“We lost one of our legendary names,” said Gary Goltz, president of the United States Judo Association.
“He really was the first family of judo. He and his brother both made Olympic teams [Steve Cohen in 1988]. His sons were great judo competitors,” said Patrick Burris, Mr. Cohen’s teammate at the 1972 games.
A young Irwin Cohen started competing at the Uptown Judo Club, operated by the Jewish Community Center of Chicago. At 13 and 16, he won gold medals in the U.S. Junior Nationals.
In 1969, he bounded onto global judo mats. He won a third gold medal at the U.S. High School championships; earned a bronze at the U.S. Senior Nationals, and he competed in the World Championships in Mexico City.
People also took notice when he scored a decisive win against a top Japanese team that toured the U.S., Berland said.
“Everybody else got smoked, but Irwin beat the Japanese.” Berland said. He threw his opponent down, flat on his back, with force and control. The equivalent of a knock-out punch in boxing, it immediately ended the match.
He had a “stunning tai otoshi,” or leg throw, according to USA Judo, the nation’s governing body for the sport.
In 1972, he made it to the Olympics in Munich. He rode a bus to practice sessions with some of the Israeli Olympians who were later massacred by Palestinian terrorists, Berland said.
Though he didn’t medal in the Olympics, he racked up nearly two dozen gold, silver and bronze medals at other prestigious championships between 1965 and the late 1970s, including golds at the 1973 and 1977 Maccabiah Games.
He was often featured in Black Belt Magazine. In 1978, it rhapsodized about his “unforgettable, three-second win.”
“He was the most successful, decorated judo player in our country’s history at that time,” Berland said. “When he stepped into a room it changed the air. Everybody took notice.”
He morphed into something formidable at a match. “He was scary. He was very intense. Very determined,” said Corine Shigemoto, COO of USA Judo. “Beautiful technique; beautiful.”
After his competitive era ended, he started a new chapter as an elite coach. He helped coach at the Olympics in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2000.
“He’s had, for years, one of the most successful teams in the United States,” said Sherrie Wilson, director of marketing for USA Judo. “He’s produced multiple Olympians, multiple World Team members.” Mr. Cohen also coached Wilson, a 1996 Olympic alternate.
“When his students showed up for a competition, you knew you were in for a long day,” she said.
“He had a way of instilling confidence in you. He willed you to succeed,’’ Berland said. “At 10 or 11 years old, he would teach you how to walk out on the mat, and how to bow, and how to approach your competitor, and how to carry yourself like a champion.”
In a 1994 interview with the Sun-Times, Mr. Cohen described his philosophy. “We try not to make winning important,” he said. “We focus more on the work ethic and practice and that with those two things, winning will come eventually.”
Mr. Cohen fought his renal disease like an Olympian, according to friends. When first diagnosed, doctors thought he might last only a year or two, Berland said. But he lived about 13 more years. A kidney transplant five years ago extended his life, he said.
Mr. Cohen was proud of his daughter, skating champ and coach Alana Cohen, and his sons, judo competitors R.J. and Aaron. He not only attended their meets, but tried to go to their practices, too. Despite his resume, he sat quietly and watched. He just wanted to support them, Berland said.
In addition to his children and brother, he also is survived by his wife, Shelly; his sister, Gail, and three grandchildren.