Chris Cooley (born
July 11,
1982 in
Powell, Wyoming) is an
American football tight end for the
Washington Redskins of the
National Football League. He was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the
2004 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
Utah State.
Early years
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 career
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 currently plays in the NFL for the
Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2003, his senior season at Utah State, Cooley led the NCAA in receptions by a tight end.
Professional career
2004
In
2004, Cooley was drafted with the 81st pick in the third round 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 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
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.
Those three
touchdowns ended up actually costing Cooley his fantasy playoff game, because his opponent had Cooley on his fantasy team.
He led all
NFC fullbacks 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
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
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
In 2008, Cooley had
not scored in all but one game as of week five. In the first week, he only caught one pass for 7 yards against
New York Giants. 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.
Statistics
| Year
| Team
| G
| GS
| Rec
| Yds
| Avg
| Lg
| TD
| FD |
| 2004
| Washington Redskins
| 16
| 9
| 37
| 314
| 8.5
| 31
| 6
| 23 |
| 2005
| Washington Redskins
| 16
| 16
| 71
| 774
| 10.9
| 32
| 8
| 44 |
| 2006
| Washington Redskins
| 16
| 16
| 67
| 734
| 12.9
| 66
| 6
| 33 |
| 2007
| Washington Redskins
| 16
| 16
| 66
| 786
| 11.9
| 39
| 8
| 39 |
| TOTAL
|
| 64
| 57
| 231
| 2,608
| 11.3
| 66
| 28
| 139 |
Personal
Cooley currently lives in
Hamilton, Virginia and is married to former Redskins cheerleader
Christy Oglevee. Oglevee had been fired by the Redskins when it was learned she and Cooley were dating, a violation of team policy. Cooley and Oglevee were married on May 24, 2008. 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".
Cooley maintains his own blog, "The Cooley Zone". 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 .
With his hair trimmed, he did a commercial for Reebok to boost his fantasy football value by catching a football one-handed through a wooden wall.
On Sunday, September 14, 2008, Cooley posted a photo of Redskins training materials that also included his genitals on "The Cooley Zone". 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.
References
External links