Chris Cooper (safety)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
| No. 39 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 17, 1994 Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Iona Prep (New Rochelle) |
| College | Stony Brook |
| NFL draft | 2018: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Chris Cooper (born March 17, 1994) is an American former professional football defensive back. He played college football at Stony Brook.
Cooper was born in Mount Vernon, New York. After his freshman year of high school, he transferred from Mount Vernon High School, known more as a basketball powerhouse, to Iona Prep in order to focus more on developing his football skills. In his senior season at Iona Prep, he was named first-team all-state and first-team All-CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association).[2]
In the summer of 2013, after his senior year of high school, Cooper was badly injured while doing construction work after a large iron water pipe rolled off a shelf and struck him in the head, back and leg. He required eight staples and broke two bones in his leg. Cooper, who planned to attend Proctor Academy prep school in the fall to play football, instead had to undergo months of rehab. He took classes at Westchester Community College in the winter and played spring and fall football at ASA College in Brooklyn.[3]
College career
As a sophomore, Cooper transferred to Stony Brook prior to the 2015 season, joining fellow Iona Prep classmate Synceir Malone.[4] He played in nine games as a cornerback.[2][5] He was moved to strong safety before his junior season, starting all 11 games and finishing fifth on the team with 52 tackles.[6] Cooper began to generate NFL buzz in his senior season, starting as he recorded nine tackles against FBS South Florida and Heisman Trophy candidate Quinton Flowers in Stony Brook's season opener. He finished the season fourth on the team with 81 tackles as well as recording an interception.[3] He was also named second-team All-Conference.[2]
Cooper began to earn more attention when he earned an invite to participate in the Tropical Bowl and ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash on Stony Brook's Pro Day, with 16 teams expressing interest in him.[3] He also completed 17 reps on the bench press and had a 35-inch vertical.[2]