Archie Cooley, the innovative Black college football coach whose offense helped Jerry Rice become a star at Mississippi Valley State, has died, his family announced through the school Thursday. He was 84. “The MVSU Family sends our condolences to the Cooley Family,” the school said in a social media post, but did not share details about Cooley’s death. Nicknamed “Gunslinger” for his passion for the passing game, Cooley spent 19 seasons as a head coach at four HBCUs and went 83-78-5. The Mississippi native played both ways at Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the early 1960s and started his coaching career as a defensive assistant. He became a head coach for the first time in the SWAC at Mississippi Valley State in 1980. Cooley’s five-wide receiver, no-huddle offense helped revolutionize the passing game at a time when many top programs were still using run-heavy attacks. |
Abu Ghraib detainee shares emotional testimony during trial against Virginia military contractorRegular passenger flights between Taiyuan, Hong Kong to resumeHawks' Trae Young says he feels better after lateColombia's capital announces new measures to cut water consumption as dry weather persistsMariners call up 21China expects over 750 mln interFormer New Mexico football player convicted of robbing a postal carrierMarried teacher caught naked in car with male student, 17, is the wife of HarvardChicago White Sox activate slugger Eloy Jiménez from the 10Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez