Earl Cooper (American football)

Last updated

Earl Cooper
No. 49, 89, 86
Position: Fullback
Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1957-09-17) September 17, 1957 (age 67)
Giddings, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:227 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: Lexington (Lexington, Texas)
College: Rice
NFL draft: 1980  / round: 1 / pick: 13
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:1,152
Rushing average:3.9
Rushing TDs:6
Receptions:213
Receiving yards:1,908
Receiving touchdowns:12
Player stats at PFR

Marion Earl Cooper (born September 17, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback and tight end in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Rice Owls and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 1980 NFL draft with the 13th overall pick.

Contents

Career

A 6'2", 227-lb. fullback-tight end from Rice University, Cooper played in 7 NFL seasons from 1980 to 1986. [1] During his rookie season for the 49ers in 1980, he finished second in the league in receptions with 83 (San Diego's Kellen Winslow had 89). He was a key contributor on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play that has been immortalized as "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Playoffs versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Cooper also appeared in two Super Bowls for the 49ers, even catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Montana in Super Bowl XVI versus the Cincinnati Bengals, a catch beautifully depicted on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He ended his career with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986.

Personal life

Cooper graduated from high school in Lexington, Texas. He was a teacher and coach in Pflugerville, Texas, but is now retired.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco 49ers</span> National Football League franchise in Santa Clara, California

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team plays its home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 38 miles (61 km) southeast of San Francisco. The team is named after the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XVI</span> 1982 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1981 season. The 49ers defeated the Bengals by the score of 26–21 to win their first Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XIX</span> 1985 edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1984 season. The 49ers defeated the Dolphins by the score of 38–16, to win their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 20, 1985, at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, the first Super Bowl played in the San Francisco Bay Area. This also became the second Super Bowl after Super Bowl XIV where the game was coincidentally played in the home market of one of the participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXIII</span> 1989 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1988 season. The 49ers defeated the Bengals 20–16, winning their third Super Bowl. The game was played on January 22, 1989, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXIV</span> 1990 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1989 season. The game was played on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 49ers defeated the Broncos by the score of 55–10, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, and their fourth overall, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins at that time. San Francisco also became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls with two different head coaches; rookie head coach George Seifert took over after Bill Walsh retired following the previous season's Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXIX</span> 1995 edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion San Diego Chargers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1994 season. The 49ers defeated the Chargers by the score of 49–26, becoming the first team to win five Super Bowl championships. The game was played on January 29, 1995, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Rice</span> American football player (born 1962)

Jerry Lee Rice is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter stints at the end of his career with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. Nicknamed "World" because of his superb catching ability, his accomplishments and numerous records, Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in NFL history. His biography on the official Pro Football Hall of Fame website names him "the most prolific wide receiver in NFL history with staggering career totals". In 1999, The Sporting News listed Rice second behind Jim Brown on its list of "Football's 100 Greatest Players". In 2010, he was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history.

Thomas Dean Rathman is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Branch</span> American football player (1948–2019)

Clifford Branch Jr. was an American professional football wide receiver who played for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders during his entire 14-year National Football League (NFL) career. He won three NFL championships with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI, XV, and XVIII. He was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL draft after playing college football for the Colorado Buffaloes. He was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

Charle Edward Young is an American former football tight end who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1973–1976), the Los Angeles Rams (1977–1979), the San Francisco 49ers (1980–1982), and the Seattle Seahawks (1983–1985). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Eagles in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft.

Jerel Jamal Stokes is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning unanimous All-American honors in 1993. A first-round selection in the 1995 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, he played in the NFL for the 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. He won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Peelle</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Justin Morris Peelle is a former American football tight end and coach who is the tight ends coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season (won 5th Super Bowl)

The 1994 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 49th overall, and their sixth under head coach George Seifert. This season was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference championship games, the 49ers made significant acquisitions in the 1994 free agent market. This included the signing of two-sport star Deion Sanders and Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton, Jr. Sanders had a major impact on the team's success, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and recording six interceptions. The 49ers won their division, the NFC West, for the eighth time in nine seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season (won 4th Super Bowl)

The 1989 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 40th in the National Football League (NFL), their 44th overall and their 1st season under head coach George Seifert. After going 14–2 in the regular season, the 49ers completed the season with one of the most dominant playoff runs of all time, outscoring opponents 126–26, earning their fourth Super Bowl victory and their second consecutive, where they defeated the Broncos, 55–10. They finished with the best record in the NFL for the first time since 1987. Their two losses were by a combined 5 points. The 49ers became the 2nd team in NFL history to win 4 Super Bowls, the first being the Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vance McDonald</span> American football player (born 1990)

Vance Coman McDonald is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rice Owls. McDonald was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, and spent four seasons with the team. He also played four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Juszczyk</span> American football player (born 1991)

Kyle Patrick Juszczyk is an American professional football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Harvard Crimson, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Kittle</span> American football player (born 1993)

George Krieger Kittle is an American professional football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Dwelley</span> American football player (born 1995)

Ross Dwelley is an American professional football tight end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego and signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Sample</span> American football player (born 1996)

Drew Sample is an American professional football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Milton Jackson was an American football coach for 26 seasons. He had different coaching positions for the California Golden Bears, Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Oilers, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens. Also, he was drafted in the 7th round (170), by the San Francisco 49ers but did not play for them. Instead, he played for the San Jose Apaches, and Sacramento Capitols.

References

  1. "Earl Cooper Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.