Greg Cook

Gregory Lynn Cook (born November 20, 1946 in Dayton, Ohio), is a retired American football quarterback.

Early Career

Cook lived most of his life in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he excelled in baseball, basketball and football at Chillicothe High School.

He played collegiately at the University of Cincinnati, once throwing for 554 yards in one game. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1969 NFL Draft after Bengals coach and founder Paul Brown saw Cook's performance in the Bearcats' come-from-behind victory 23-21 victory against Miami University in Bo Schembechler's last game before he left to coach at the University of Michigan. Brown had attended the game, but left when the Miami Redskins' lead reached 21-6. "That quarterback. That's our draft choice," said Brown after seeing film of Cook's rallying performance.

NFL Career

The Bengals released John Stofa, the Bengals' starting signalcaller for much of the team's inaugural season, and named Cook as the Bengals' starting quarterback. His season started spectacularly, leading the Bengals to a 3-0 record. However, in game three versus Kansas City, Cook felt a pop in his right (throwing) shoulder after being tackled and missed the next three games. Due, arguably, to the limited medical technology at the time, the fact that his rotator cuff had been torn went undiagnosed.

Despite this, Greg Cook went on to pass for 1,854 yards and led the Bengals to wins over the Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, the two best teams in the AFL. His 9.411 yards per pass attempt and 17.5 yard per completion are rookie records that still stand. Cook was UPI's choice for AFL Rookie of the year.

Recalls Cook: "I took cortisone shots and played in pain, but the shoulder hadn't started to deteriorate yet, so I could still function. I still had the strength. I felt obligated to finish the season. I'd gotten off to a good start. I didn't want to relinquish that." [1]

The rotator cuff began deteriorating after the season; during surgery, it was revealed that Cook also had a partially detached biceps muscle. After three operations proved futile, he retired. A 1973 comeback attempt failed and Cook retired permanently. Many football experts - including then Bengal's assistant coach Bill Walsh - say that had it not been for that injury, Cook may very well have gone on to be the greatest quarterback of all time. The NFL Network Top Ten series named Cook the #1 One Shot Wonder in NFL History.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, who suffered two tears to his rotator cuff and has undergone as many surgeries to repair it, is often compared to Cook because their injuries are so similar; his injury is also similar to that suffered by New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees, who had surgery on his rotator cuff in 2006 and finished the season as an All-Pro Quarterback.

Life After Football

Since his retirement, Greg Cook, who still lives in Cincinnati, has worked with United Parcel Service and with Worksite Information Network as a motivational speaker for labor unions.

Cook was an art major at the University of Cincinnati, and continues to paint today. He has had works hung in the Ohio Governor's Mansion.

See also

• Other American Football League players

External links

• Greg Cook at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• Dr.Z's 13 Greatest Single Season QB Performances