Mississippi State great Johnie Cooks, Colts' top pick in '82, dies at 64

[milestogo]

Johnie Cooks, a linebacker who starred at Mississippi State before going on to a 10-year NFL career, died on Thursday. He was 64. "When you think of Mississippi State Football, you think of legends like Johnie Cooks," Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett wrote on Twitter. "The Bulldog Family lost an all-time great today. On behalf of our program, we extend our condolences to the Cooks family."
A cause of death was not announced.

The Baltimore Colts made Cooks the No. 2 overall selection in the 1982 NFL Draft. He finished sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in the strike-shortened 1982 season and went on to play six-plus seasons for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts. He spent time with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns to finish his career, playing on the Giants team that beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 to win Super Bowl XXV.

Cooks played in 128 career games, starting 97 of them, and totaled 32 sacks, five fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) and four interceptions in that time.

At Mississippi State, Cooks once recorded 24 tackles in a single game against Auburn. He was named All-SEC three times and earned recognition from five All-America teams at the end of the 1981 college season. He is in the university's athletics hall of fame.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37972201/mississippi-st-great-johnie-cooks-colts-top-pick-82-dies-64

Sounds like football really wrecked his body:

Cooks’ was among the worst-case scenarios. At age 49, he was afflicted with arthritic knees, severe lower back issues, numbness in his legs and feet, the near total loss of vision in his left eye and several other lesser ailments. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he had slept through the night.

https://mississippitoday.org/2023/07/07/johnie-cooks-football-passed-away-age-64/

[trof]

1. Pro football takes a toll.

Players are not long lived.