Johnie Cooks, an integral member of the New York Giants’ Super Bowl XXV Champion defense, has passed away. He was 64 years old.
RIP Johnie Cooks, 64, one of those guys Parcells brought in to help stabilize the locker room in the mid-1980s. Valuable guy who could play all LB spots in the 3-4 and help out on specials. Good guy with the media, too. One of Tuna’s favorites.
— Vinny DiTrani (@sageman01) July 6, 2023
Cooks had been experiencing a long list of health issues of late as a result of a bacterial infection.
Cooks was the second overall selection in 1982 NFL draft out of Mississippi State by the Baltimore Colts and played his first six seasons with them. He was released early in the 1988 season by the Colts, who were by then in Indianapolis, and signed by the Giants where he played in 13 games, starting four.
In 1989, Cooks played in all 16 regular season games with 13 starts for Big Blue. The next year, Cooks appeared in 14 games for New York along with two postseason games, including the Giants’ 20-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV in January 1991.
This one is hard for me…my teammate, my friend, my brother Johnie Cooks.
RIP #JohnieCooks. #MSU #MSUfootball #NYGiants #Mississippi #MississippiState#Colts #BaltimoreColts https://t.co/Tgh8glhWdo pic.twitter.com/RIxLEV7ed9— Lewis Tillman (@Tillman3427) July 7, 2023
Cooks was released by the Giants before the 1991 season and caught on with the Cleveland Browns but retired after appearing in just two games for them that season.
