Chris Cooley (American football)

Christopher "Chris" Ken Cooley (born July 11, 1982) is a former American football tight end. He played college football for Utah State University. He was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Cooley currently holds the Redskins' franchise record for most receptions at tight end.

Early YearsEdit

Cooley attended Logan High School in Logan, Utah, and lettered in football, wrestling, and baseball. As a senior football tight end, he caught 45 passes for 625 yards (13.34 yards per rec. avg.) and on defense, added eight sacks and numerous tackles. In wrestling, he posted a 54–0 record his senior season and won the state championship and All-America honors.

College careerEdit

Cooley finished his college football career at Utah State University with 95 receptions for 1,255 yards (13.2 yards per rec. avg.). He was part of a talented receiving corps with teammate Kevin Curtis who is currently a free agent.

In 2003, his senior season at Utah State, Cooley led the NCAA in receptions by a tight end.

Professional careerEdit

Washington RedskinsEdit

2004 SeasonEdit

In 2004, Cooley was drafted in the third round, with the 81st overall pick, of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. After being used sparingly in the first half of the 2004 season, Cooley began to be used more extensively in the last eight games, developing a rapport with Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey. In his first NFL season, Cooley led the team in touchdowns (with six), while recording 37 receptions for 314 yards, catching three passes of more than twenty yards, and getting 23 first downs. He finished the season with an average of 8.5 yards per catch. He was the Redskins' nominee for the NFL Man of the Year award^[1] for his work reading to children and feeding the poor. He is also known by the nickname "Johnny White Guy," which was given to him by Clinton Portis during one of Portis' colorful press conferences.

2005 SeasonEdit

During the 2005 season, Cooley blossomed as a receiver, catching 71 passes for 774 yards and seven touchdowns, including three in a game versus the rival Dallas Cowboys, breaking the Redskins franchise record for receptions as a tight end in a single season.^[2] Those three touchdowns ended up actually costing Cooley his fantasy football playoff game, because his opponent had Cooley on his fantasy team.^[3] He led all NFC tight ends in fan voting for the annual Pro Bowl with 422,314 votes, but following player and coach voting (each group has 1/3 weight), was not chosen for the position.

2006 SeasonEdit

In 2006, Cooley got off to a slow start under the play-calling of the Washington Redskins' new offensive coordinator, Al Saunders. With only three receptions in the first two weeks, Cooley appeared to not have a place in the new offensive scheme, but in the weeks following, became a growing part of the Redskins offense. Cooley ended the season with numbers slightly less than his sophomore outing, but was still one of the top tight ends in the game.

2007 SeasonEdit

On September 1, 2007, Cooley signed a six-year $30 million contract extension.^[4] In 2007, Cooley had scored in all but one game as of week six. In the sixth week, Cooley had 9 receptions for a career high 105 yards and one touchdown in a 17-14 loss against the Green Bay Packers. On December 18, 2007 Chris Cooley was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl team with Redskins tackle Chris Samuels, long-snapper Ethan Albright, and the late safety Sean Taylor. Cooley set an NFL record by being the only tight end in league history to have six or more touchdowns in each of his first four seasons.

2008 SeasonEdit

In 2008, Cooley scored only a single touchdown. In the fifth week, Cooley had 8 receptions for a career high 109 yards and one touchdown from a pass from Antwaan Randle El in a 23–17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles. Cooley finished the season with 83 catches for 849 yards and 1 touchdown, with career highs in both catches and yardage. Cooley was the only player not to get into the stat book in the 2009 Pro Bowl.

2009 SeasonEdit

On October 26, 2009, in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Chris Cooley sustained a break to his ankle.^[5] It was initially speculated that Cooley would miss the remainder of the 2009 season. On October 27, 2009, Cooley commented via Twitter that the break may not be as bad as originally thought and that he could possibly return in as little as four weeks.^[6] His longest play of the year is a 66 yard touchdown. On November 30, 2009, Cooley was officially placed on injured reserve.

2010 SeasonEdit

Cooley played in all sixteen games of 2010 season, but had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on January 3, 2011.^[7]

2011 SeasonEdit

Still recovering from the arthroscopic surgery that was done to his left knee, Cooley did not play in any of the preseason games. Cooley only played in the 2011 season's first five games. After the win in Week 1 against the New York Giants, Cooley became the Washington Redskins' all-time leader in receptions at the tight end position with 422 receptions beating the previous 421 record set by Jerry Smith.^[8] In Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, Cooley subbed in for Darrel Young and Mike Sellers, who were both injured, and played the fullback position for the first time in his career.^[9] In Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cooley suffered a broken finger.^[10] On October 25, 2011, Cooley was officially placed on injured reserve after his knee was further looked at by his doctor and was told that it would take another four or five weeks before his knee would fully recover.^[11]

2012 SeasonEdit

During the preseason, it was reported that Cooley's knee was completely healed and that he even lost 20 pounds to prepare for the 2012 season.^[12] Cooley was released by the Redskins on August 28, 2012.^[13] It had been hinted by general manager Bruce Allen that Cooley could return to the Redskins.^[14][15][16]

On October 21, 2012, Cooley agreed to re-sign with the Redskins after Fred Davis tore his Achilles tendon and was done for the season.^[17][18]

RetirementEdit

On July 16, 2013, The Washington Post reported that Cooley was retiring from the NFL. The same day, The Post further reported that Cooley would join the Washington Redskins’ radio broadcast team as an analyst.^[19]

StatisticsEdit

PersonalEdit

Cooley resides in Leesburg, Virginia.

He divorced his first wife Angela in 2005^{[citation needed]}. Later that year, he Redskinnette (redskin cheerleader) Christy Oglevee. She was fired for fraternizing with Redskins players, which the Redskins organization prohibits.^[20] They married on May 23, 2008 in Landsdowne, Virginia.^[21] In January 2012 they separated^[22] and in September they announced their intent to divorce.^[23]

Cooley, occasionally referred to by his nickname "Captain Chaos," is known for his eccentric hair styles, affinity for heavy metal music, and what one reporter has called an " Animal House persona". This nickname was created when teammates bet him he would not go out to the opening coin toss and introduce himself to the opposing team captains as "Captain Chaos"^[24] Cooley did so and the nickname stuck.

Cooley maintains his own blog, "The Cooley Zone." On Sunday, September 14, 2008, Cooley posted on his blog a photo of Redskins training materials that also included his genitals. The picture remained on his site all day Sunday until it was finally removed. Cooley apologized and referred to the incident as "a complete accident", claiming that he initially posted the photo without realizing it showed his genitals.^[25][26] He also maintains an online store through eBay, featuring jerseys, cards, and other personalized memorabilia. Cooley is an avid trading card collector, a hobby he rediscovered while searching for Chris Cooley football cards.^[27]

Cooley is executive producer of the independent film Ghosts Don't Exist, which began production in May 2009.^[28] He was featured in an episode of Jake and Amir for the comedy website CollegeHumor.^[29]

Cooley majored in art at Utah State, and now pursues a side career as a potter. He owns an art gallery in Leesburg.^[30]

ReferencesEdit

Further readingEdit

• Lindsey, Drew. "Chris Cooley Bares It All", Washingtonian, August 1, 2009.

External linksEdit

Biography portal

• Washington Redskins bio
• Official website
• Official blog
• The Cooley Gallery
• Chris Cooley at the Internet Movie Database
• Chris Cooley on Twitter