Leroy Cook
Encyclopedia
Leroy Cook is an American football
player who was a two-time All-America pick and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
of the National Football League
.
Cook earned consensus All-America
honors in 1975
and was a First-team All-American 1974
. As a freshman, in 1972, Cook made 16 tackles (three for a loss) and caused two fumbles. In 1973 he made 18 tackles and again was credited with two caused fumbles. In 1974, his first as an All-America he made 81 tackles (10 for a loss) with six of those being sacks. He was credited with two more forced fumbles and blocked three kicks. In 1975 he made 85 tackles, (14 for losses) with 9 of those sacks and caused a career-high 4 fumbles. In 1975, Cook was named SEC Player of the Year by the Atlanta Touchdown Club. He also served as team defensive captain that season. He was National Defensive Player of the Week following the University of Tennessee
game in 1975, a 30-7 Tide win. He was Defensive MVP of the 1975 Orange Bowl.
Cook was drafted on the 10th round (290th overall pick) of the 1976 NFL Draft
by the Dallas Cowboys
, but he never played in a regular season NFL game. Cook was placed on injured reserve
for the 1976 season
. Cook attempted to make the team in 1977, however, he was cut during training camp and never sign another pro contract.
Cook was selected to the Tide's Team of the Decade of the 1970s. and he was also chosen to Sports Illustrated
's All-Time University of Alabama team. Cook ended his career with 200 tackles with 27 for losses and 15 sacks. He forced 10 fumbles in 4-years which still ranks high in Alabama record books. He also blocked three kicks.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a two-time All-America pick and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Cook earned consensus All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors in 1975
1975 College Football All-America Team
The 1975 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
and was a First-team All-American 1974
1974 College Football All-America Team
The 1974 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
. As a freshman, in 1972, Cook made 16 tackles (three for a loss) and caused two fumbles. In 1973 he made 18 tackles and again was credited with two caused fumbles. In 1974, his first as an All-America he made 81 tackles (10 for a loss) with six of those being sacks. He was credited with two more forced fumbles and blocked three kicks. In 1975 he made 85 tackles, (14 for losses) with 9 of those sacks and caused a career-high 4 fumbles. In 1975, Cook was named SEC Player of the Year by the Atlanta Touchdown Club. He also served as team defensive captain that season. He was National Defensive Player of the Week following the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
game in 1975, a 30-7 Tide win. He was Defensive MVP of the 1975 Orange Bowl.
Cook was drafted on the 10th round (290th overall pick) of the 1976 NFL Draft
1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, but he never played in a regular season NFL game. Cook was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
for the 1976 season
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. Cook attempted to make the team in 1977, however, he was cut during training camp and never sign another pro contract.
Cook was selected to the Tide's Team of the Decade of the 1970s. and he was also chosen to Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
's All-Time University of Alabama team. Cook ended his career with 200 tackles with 27 for losses and 15 sacks. He forced 10 fumbles in 4-years which still ranks high in Alabama record books. He also blocked three kicks.