Hall of Fame
CHRIS COOLEY
Hometown: Logan, Utah
Sport: Football
Years: 2000-03
Regarded as the best tight end in Utah State football history, Chris Cooley earned honorable mention All-American honors from The Associated Press following his senior season in 2003, as he led all tight ends in the nation with 62 receptions for 732 yards and six touchdowns. Cooley, who also earned first-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors as a senior, led USU in all receiving categories that season as he was named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, which is presented annually to the top tight end in the nation. Cooley finished his USU career ranking first all-time in school history among tight ends with 96 receptions, 1,255 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. During his senior season, Cooley caught a career-high two touchdowns in back-to-back games against North Texas and Arkansas State, and had a career-high 10 receptions for 125 yards against Idaho in his final collegiate game. As a junior, he had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games with seven catches for a career-high 134 yards against Troy and five receptions for 105 yards with one touchdown against Middle Tennessee. Overall, Cooley caught at least two passes in each of his final 17 games as an Aggie. Following his collegiate career, Cooley was selected in the third round (81st pick) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. During his nine-year NFL career (2004-12), Cooley was named to both the 2007 and 2008 Pro Bowl and set the franchise record for most receptions by a tight end as he finished his career with 429 catches for 4,711 yards with 33 touchdowns. In his second season in the NFL, Cooley set the Redskins' single-season record for receptions as he caught 71 passes for 774 yards with six touchdowns. He later set career highs during the 2008 season as he caught 83 passes for 849 yards, and 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.
