Johnie Cooks Memorial To Be Held July 13 At M-Club Center

STARKVILLE – A public memorial service honoring the life of legendary Bulldog linebacker Johnie Cooks will be held at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday, July 13, 2023, inside the Leo Seal M-Club Center of Davis Wade Stadium.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Johnie Cooks M-Club Endowed Scholarship. Checks may be payable to the MSU Foundation and mailed to POB BT, MSU, MS
39762. For questions, please call the Bulldog Club at (662) 325-3074.

Additional details on the memorial service can be found below:

PARKING: Guests are invited to park in available parking spaces within the Barnes & Noble parking lot, Soccer Press box parking lot and Bost Extension parking lot beginning at noon Thursday. Cart service for those with limited mobility will be provided from these lots.

SEATING: Seating for the event will be first-come, first-served inside the M-Club Center.

Cooks passed away on July 6 at the age of 64.

He lettered all four years at MSU from 1977-81. The three-time All-SEC linebacker ended his illustrious career fourth in school history in sacks (24.0) and fifth in total tackles (392). He was the Bulldogs' leading tackler during the 1978 and 1981 seasons, racking up 100-plus stops each year. During his junior year, he recorded a career high 24 tackles in a game against Auburn.

The Leland, Mississippi, native was placed on five All-America teams following the 1981 season, when MSU beat Kansas 10-0 in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham. In addition, he was one of 12 finalists for the Vince Lombardi National Lineman Trophy and finished third in voting for the Nashville Banner's prestigious SEC Player of the Year honor.

In 1980, Cooks helped the Bulldogs put together its best season in nearly 20 years. MSU finished the campaign ranked No. 19 nationally with a 9-3 overall record including a 5-1 mark in SEC play. Most notably, Cooks led State to one of its most memorable wins in program history, a 6-3 victory against No. 1 ranked Alabama. Cooks racked up more than 20 tackles in the contest and stopped the Crimson Tide around the goal line with a game-clinching forced fumble, a play that will forever live in Mississippi State lore.

Cooks went on to become the second pick overall by the Baltimore Colts in the 1982 NFL Draft and play in the league for 10 years. He spent six years with the Colts, then three with the New York Giants, where he was on the 1990 Super Bowl championship team. Cooks then played his final NFL season with the Cleveland Browns.

In 1998, Cooks was named to the SEC Football Legends class, an annual award program of the Southeastern Conference designed to honor outstanding former college football players from each of the conference's member institutions.

Cooks, who wore No. 99, earned a spot in MSU's M-Club Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. His name is forever bound to Davis Wade Stadium after becoming a part of the Bulldogs' Ring of Honor in 2011.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Johnie Cooks Memorial To Be Held July 13 At M-Club Center

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