Stephen Cooper (American football) facts for kids
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Cooper with the San Diego Chargers in 2009
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | June 19, 1979 Wareham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Wareham (MA) | ||||||||||
| College: | Maine | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2003 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Stephen Cooper (born June 19, 1979) is a former American football player. He played as a linebacker for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League (NFL). A linebacker is a key defensive player who helps stop the other team from scoring. Cooper played his entire professional career with the Chargers after being signed by them in 2003. Before joining the NFL, he played college football at the University of Maine.
Playing College Football
Stephen Cooper first thought about going to the U.S. Naval Academy for college. But he decided to go to the University of Maine instead, which was closer to his home. He wanted to try and earn a scholarship there. Stephen shared that this choice was a family decision. He said they were thinking about a job after college, not just professional football.
His high school coach and the Maine Black Bears football head coach, Jack Cosgrove, had played together in college. Because of this connection, Cooper was offered a scholarship. He quickly became a star player for the Maine Black Bears.
Awards and Achievements in College
In his first year, 1999, Cooper earned Maine's Roger Ellis Rookie of the Year Award. This award recognized him as the best new player on the team. As a junior, he was named the Atlantic-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year. This meant he was one of the top defensive players in his college conference.
In his senior year, 2002, Cooper received even more honors. He was named the Atlantic-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He also won the George H. "Bulger" Lowe award. This award recognized him as the best defensive football player in all of New England. He was also named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press. This means he was considered one of the best college football players in the country.
Cooper was also an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and Sports Network. In one important game against Appalachian State, Cooper helped his team win. He forced the other team's quarterback to throw an interception. This led to Maine scoring and winning the game 14-13. In that game, he made 13 tackles and had two quarterback sacks.
Throughout his four years in college, from 1999 to 2002, Cooper had impressive stats. He finished with 374 tackles, which means he stopped the ball carrier 374 times. He also had 25 sacks, which is when a defensive player tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
Professional Football Career
The San Diego Chargers signed Stephen Cooper on May 2, 2003. He was signed as an "undrafted free agent." This means he wasn't chosen in the NFL draft, but a team still wanted to sign him.
For his first four years, Cooper mostly played as a backup player. This means he wasn't a regular starter but would play when needed. His big breakthrough season was in 2007. That year, he started all 16 games for the Chargers. He also made a career-high 107 tackles.
The next two seasons, 2008 and 2009, were also very good for Cooper. He made a total of 201 tackles and started 28 games. In 2010, he played 12 games before an injury ended his season. He was placed on the "Injured Reserve" (IR) list. He played 5 more games in 2011 before another injury cut his season short.
Stephen Cooper played his entire 9-season career with the San Diego Chargers. He played in 125 games for the team. During his career, he made 503 tackles, had 9.5 sacks, and caught 8 interceptions. He also played in 8 playoff games for the Chargers, where he made 68 tackles.
