Johnie Cooks was an All-American linebacker at Mississippi State and later won a Super Bowl ring with the NFL’s New York Giants, but is best known in this part of the country for his performance against Alabama on Nov. 1, 1980.
Johnie Cooks, shown here in 1990 while playing for the New York Giants, starred for Mississippi State as a linebacker in the early 1980s. He died Thursday at age 64. Johnie Cooks, who starred in one of the great upset victories in SEC football history, has died. He was 64.
Alabama’s powerful wishbone offense came into that game averaging 425 yards and 38 points per game, but Cooks and the Bulldogs limited the Crimson Tide to 180 yards and a field goal, forcing four fumbles — including one inside the five in the final 20 seconds. The victory was Mississippi State’s first over Alabama since 1958, and is still considered among the greatest in Bulldogs program history.
After helping Mississippi State to a 9-3 finish in 1980 and an 8-4 mark in 1981, Cooks was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft by the then-Baltimore Colts. He played 10 seasons in the league with the Colts, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, helping New York win the Super Bowl after the 1990 season.
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