Jim Cooper (American football)

Last updated

Jim Cooper
No. 61
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1955-09-28) September 28, 1955 (age 68)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:262 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High school: Philadelphia (PA) Dougherty
College: Temple
NFL draft: 1977  / Round: 6 / Pick: 164
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:133
Game started:99
Player stats at PFR

James Albert Cooper (born September 28, 1955) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Temple University.

Contents

Early life

Cooper attended Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia, not far from the Temple campus. He was a three-sport athlete, earning varsity letters in football, baseball, and track.

He was the Catholic League champ in the shot put. His teammates elected him captain in all three sports during his senior year.

College career

Cooper accepted a football scholarship from Temple University. He played both on the offensive and defensive lines, before settling at offensive tackle, where he was a three-year starter.

He was inducted into the Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Cooper was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (164th overall) of the 1977 NFL draft. It proved difficult at first, almost being traded to the Denver Broncos along with fullback Jim Jensen and getting released at the end of training camp on September 9. [1] [2] On September 16, he was re-signed after Jim Eidson was lost for the year with a knee injury. [3] He took advantage of this second opportunity, by learning 3 positions (Tackle, Guard, Center) and becoming the most versatile offensive lineman on the team. As a rookie, he mostly backed up both guard positions.

In 1978, he was listed as the backup at center. In 1979, he started the first 11 games at right tackle, while Rayfield Wright was recovering from a knee injury.

In 1980, he took over the starting position after Wright retired. [4] center John Fitzgerald nicknamed the Cowboys offensive line as the "Four Irishmen and a Scott", when it was formed by him, Fitzgerald, Pat Donovan, Tom Rafferty and Herb Scott.

In the 1982 season, he helped blocked on Tony Dorsett's record 99-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings.

In 1984, he missed half of the season, after being injured on a bizarre accident, when he slipped while rising from a table at a night club, while watching Monday Night Football. He dislocated his right ankle and in the process broke a bone and ligaments. [5] He was replaced by Phil Pozderac the rest of the season.

In 1985, he started 15 games, missing the season finale with a neck injury. Cooper retired in 1986, after being injured most of that year. He finished his career after playing in 133 games, including 2 Super Bowls.

Personal life

After retirement, he focused on managing his family owned company Industrial Container Services.

Related Research Articles

James Herbert Parrish, Jr. was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Chicago Bears. He also was a member of the London Monarchs and the Barcelona Dragons in the World League of American Football. He played college football at Temple University.

Mark Pulemau Tuinei was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Known as a "gentle giant", his career lasted for 15 years (1983–1997) and his ability to protect quarterback Troy Aikman and to run-block for running back Emmitt Smith helped them win Super Bowls in 1992, 1993, and 1995 and the NFC East Division in 1985 and 1992-96. He was also selected for the Pro Bowl in 1994 and 1995.

Oliver Calvin Ross is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cory Procter</span> American football player (born 1982)

Cory Procter is a former American football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He played college football at the University of Montana.

John Robert Fitzgerald is a former American football center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College

Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for head coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University.

Patrick Emery Donovan is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal. Sports Illustrated named him the fourth greatest Montana athlete of the 20th century.

Aaron Gibson is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He also was a member of the Austin Wranglers and Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at the University of Wisconsin.

John Christian Gesek Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Sacramento State Hornets and was selected in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL draft. Gesek won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys over the Buffalo Bills as a starting offensive lineman.

Michael John Kiselak is a former American football guard in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Sacramento Gold Miners, San Antonio Texans and Toronto Argonauts. He also was a member of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), San Antonio Riders in the World League of American Football (WLAF) and San Francisco Demons in the XFL. He played college football at the University of Maryland.

Glen Weston Titensor is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Brigham Young University.

Andrew Brian Frederick is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Mexico.

Robert Leslie Shaw is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tennessee.

Kelvin Garmon is a former American football offensive guard. He played college football at Baylor University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Garmon was also a member of the San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, and Oakland Raiders.

Kurt David Petersen is a former American football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Missouri.

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

Tyron Jerrar Smith is an American football offensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans where he won the Morris Trophy, recognizing the best offensive and defensive linemen on the West Coast, in 2010. Smith was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. In 13 seasons with the Cowboys, Smith was an eight-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro, and was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

Donald Frederick Smerek was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Nevada.

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

Jonathan Javell Cooper is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he earned All-American honors. He also spent time with the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Oakland Raiders.

Jerry Bradford Reynolds is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Matt Waletzko is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota.

References

  1. ↑ "Sports Transactions" . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Cooper Key Hanger-On" . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Transactions" . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Early Doomsday Members Among Cowboys' Best 6th-Round Picks" . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Cowboy in Mishap" . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.