Cooley at Redskins training camp in 2011.
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No. 47 | |||||||||
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Position: | Tight End | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | July 11, 1982 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | Powell, Wyoming | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 243 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Logan (UT) | ||||||||
College: | Utah State | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 3 / Pick: 81 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Receptions: | 429 |
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Receiving yards: | 4,711 |
Receiving TDs: | 33 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Christopher Ken "Chris" Cooley (born July 11, 1982) is a former American football tight end who played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Utah State University, and was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft. Cooley holds the Redskins' franchise record for most receptions at tight end.
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.
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 unit 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.
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 for his work reading to children and feeding the poor. He is also lesser known by the nickname "Johnny White Guy," which was given to him by Clinton Portis during one of Portis' colorful press conferences, but the off color nickname did not stick.