| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 12, 1952 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Listed weight | 182 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cabrillo (Lompoc, California) |
| College |
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| Awards and highlights | |
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Henry Gray Cook (born January 12, 1952) is an American former college football player who was a wide receiver for the New Mexico State Aggies. Despite being blind in his left eye, he set New Mexico State's career and single-season receiving records in 1973 and received third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press.
The son of Aubrey Cook and Mary Cook, Henry "Hank" Gray Cook was born at Rutherford Hospital on January 12, 1952, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. [1] [2] He grew up in Lompoc, California. Somewhere between age three and age five, he was blinded in his left eye in "a freak neighborhood accident". [3] [4] [5] Cook and a cousin were throwing walnuts at each other, and one struck Cook's eye, detaching the retina. [5] He attended Cabrillo High School where he graduated in 1970. [6] [7]
Cook played college football at Allan Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria, California. In 1971, he won all-league honors and led Hancock's football team to a conference championship. [8]
Cook transferred after his sophomore year and played for the New Mexico State Aggies in 1972 and 1973. As a senior in 1973, he led the Missouri Valley Conference and ranked second nationally with 65 receptions and 1,111 receiving yards. [9] During the 1973 season, he also broke New Mexico State career and season receiving records. [10]
Cook accomplshed these feats despite being blind in one eye. [11] [12] Asked whether the blindness hampered his play, Cook responded: "I've learned to compensate for it over the years. I suppose I might turn my head a little more, one way or the other, but it really doesn't bother me." [13]
At the end of the 1973 season, he became the second New Mexico State player to receive All-America honors, as he was selected by the Associated Press (AP) to its third team. [14] Cook was also selected in December 1973 as New Mexico State's most valuable player. [15]
Cook was not selected in the 1974 NFL draft. [16] In February 1974, Cook signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. [17] The Bears placed Cook on waivers on September 13, two days before the team's first regular-season game. [18]
Cook completed his degree at New Mexico State University in the summer of 1976, and was part of the 1977 graduating class. [19] After his football career ended, he had a career in law, real estate development, and sports apparel. [20]