He played college football for Ohio State University, and twice earned All-American honors.
In 1975, under legendary coach Howard Ferguson, he lost to future NFL player Bob Golic from cross-town all-boys school rival St. Joseph High School in the Ohio state wrestling tournament semifinals in the heavyweight weight class, in a match that was called "one of the most memorable.
[7] Golic would go to be a two-time All-American at heavyweight at Notre Dame, and him and Cousineau would eventually become teammates in the NFL with the Browns.
1 team in the nation for eight weeks in 1975, and ultimately finished fourth, sixth and 12th in the final Associated Press polls in 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively.
[9] He was a consensus first-team All-American, breaking the school record with 211 tackles in a single season in 1978,[10] an average of 17.5 a game.
He also broke the school record for most tackles in a game with 29 against Penn State in 1978, and was the MVP of the 1977 Orange Bowl.
[8] In 2016, he became the 25th Ohio State player, along with seven Buckeye coaches, to be named to the College Football Hall of Fame.
[9] In 1982, Cousineau wanted to return to the NFL, choosing to forego two optional years with the Alouettes.
The Houston Oilers attempted to sign him, but the Bills (who still held Cousineau's NFL rights) matched the offer.
In 1986, after a strong preseason by Anthony Griggs and Mike Johnson, the Browns waived Cousineau.
In 1983, Cousineau was arrested in connection with minor collision with a police car on Saint Patrick's Day[24] He was charged with drunk driving, improperly using traffic lanes, and not having his driver's license.
[26] He won the May primary but lost the November election to Democrat Brian Williams by a margin of 58% to 42%.