Johnie Earl Cooks was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 10 seasons in the National Football League.
47 Facts About Johnie Cooks
1.
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Johnie Cooks played from 1982 to 1991 for the Colts, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns.
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Johnie Cooks was born on November 23,1958, in Leland, Mississippi.
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Johnie Cooks was one of nine children and the son of a sharecropper.
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Johnie Cooks was given his first opportunity to play football after his mother borrowed five dollars from her land owner to pay for his physical.
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At Leland High School, Johnie Cooks starred on the football team, basketball team, baseball team, and competed on the track and field team.
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At Mississippi State, Johnie Cooks was a four-year letterman in football and graduated with a degree in physical education.
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Johnie Cooks' interception came in the penultimate game of the season, where he picked off LSU quarterback John Crane.
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In 1978, Johnie Cooks led Mississippi State with 73 tackles, 42 assists and 14 tackles for loss.
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However, Johnie Cooks suffered a knee injury late in the season opener against Memphis State, which sidelined him for the rest of the 1979 season.
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Johnie Cooks was granted a hardship redshirt status, meaning the 1979 season did not count toward his college eligibility.
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In 1980, Johnie Cooks returned from his injury and regained his starting linebacker position.
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Johnie Cooks was named the AP SEC Lineman of the Week.
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Johnie Cooks was named to the 1981 ALL-SEC First-Team and was a 1981 All-American.
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Johnie Cooks was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the game.
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Johnie Cooks was named to the Mississippi State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991 and was inducted into the Mississippi State Ring of Honor at Davis Wade Stadium in 2011.
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Johnie Cooks was the second overall draft choice, selected in the first round of the 1982 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts.
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Johnie Cooks played his first seven seasons for the Colts before he was released and signed by the New York Giants.
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Johnie Cooks joined Baltimore on a six-year, $1.6 million contract that included a $200,000 signing bonus.
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Johnie Cooks finished sixth in the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, but earned a spot on the 1982 PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team along with Colts defensive lineman Leo Wisniewski and punter Rohn Stark.
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In 1983, Johnie Cooks was moved to the outside linebacker position, the first of many position switches throughout his career.
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Johnie Cooks publicly expressed frustration with Kush throughout the season, which led to speculation that he wanted to be traded.
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However, Johnie Cooks still was productive on the field with 67 tackles, five sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
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Johnie Cooks recorded 11.5 sacks in the team's first season in Indianapolis, which led the Colts.
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Johnie Cooks posted his best professional season with 95 tackles, five sacks, and one interception for the year.
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Johnie Cooks's interception came in week one against Ken O'Brien and the New York Jets.
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Johnie Cooks then recorded one sack each in five separate games throughout the season.
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Johnie Cooks had one sack and one interception on the season.
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Johnie Cooks did not suffer permanent damage, but internal bleeding forced him to be sidelined.
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Johnie Cooks missed the first two games of the season before the 1987 NFPLA player's strike took effect.
31.
Games scheduled for week three were cancelled, and Johnie Cooks sat out the three "strike team" games in weeks four through six.
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Johnie Cooks began the 1988 season with the Colts, but after acquiring linebacker Fredd Young in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, Johnie Cooks was waived on September 13,1988, following the first week of the regular season.
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Johnie Cooks was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants on September 14,1988.
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Four days after being acquired, Johnie Cooks started for the Giants in a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
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Johnie Cooks recorded 14 tackles one sack on the season.
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In 1989, Johnie Cooks recorded 35 tackles and one sack in 13 starts.
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Johnie Cooks had 31 tackles and one sack on the season, including a 10-tackle game against the Washington Redskins in week eight.
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Johnie Cooks was released by the Giants after the 1990 season and the retirement of head coach Bill Parcells.
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Belichick advocated for Johnie Cooks and signed him as a veteran presence for the 1991 season.
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Johnie Cooks only appeared in two games with the Browns, and lingering injuries caused Johnie Cooks to retire after the 1992 season.
41.
Johnie Cooks was hired by Mississippi State as an Assistant Athletic Director in 1992, where he served for seven years.
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Johnie Cooks left Mississippi State after the 1999 football season to join the administration of Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove as a legislative liaison.
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Johnie Cooks left the Governor's office in January 2001, and went to Alcorn State University where he was Special Assistant to the athletic director for Fundraising and Marketing.
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Johnie Cooks lived in Starkville, Mississippi, for many years following his retirement from the NFL.
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Johnie Cooks ran several community programs in Starkville, mentoring youth through the Boys and Girls Club and youth football leagues.
46.
Johnie Cooks was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
47.
Johnie Cooks died on July 6,2023, at the age of 64 from complications of a stroke.