Archie Cooley

Archie Cooley was a former college football player and coach who was born and raised in Mississippi. He played on both offense as a center and defense as a linebacker, and later, as a coach, Cooley earned the nickname “Gunslinger” because his teams were known for passing rather than running the football. Cooley served at four different institutions during his head coaching career, most famously at Mississippi Valley State University. He finished his career with more wins than losses, and his teams hold multiple school and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) records.

Cooley was born in Sumrall, Mississippi, on 18 March 1939. He spent his formative years in Laurel, Mississippi, and attended Oak Park High School, which opened in 1928 and replicated the vocational programs at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. An unintegrated school, Oak Park High School featured a football program, which Cooley joined. After high school, Cooley enrolled at Jackson College for Negro Teachers (which later became Jackson State University). He played for famous HBCU coach John Merritt. During his last two years at Jackson College, Cooley and his team won the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. Although Jackson College lost the HBCU Orange Blossom Classic game in Jacksonville, Florida, against Florida A&M in 1961, the program went 10–1 in 1962 and defeated Florida A&M 22–6 in the Orange Blossom Classic, making them national champions.

After graduating from Jackson College in 1962, Cooley started a career in coaching. His first prominent job was at Southside High School in Heidelberg, Mississippi. He transitioned to Alcorn State University in 1971, coaching linebackers and defensive linemen there until 1973. The next year Cooley instructed linebackers at Tennessee State University, but his most prominent coaching position was as head coach of Mississippi Valley State University’s Delta Devils program, where he also served as an associate professor of physical education. An HBCU, Mississippi Valley State’s football program had a 4–5 record in 1979. In 1980, Cooley improved the school’s record to 5–5. The program grew more successful, and his dynamic offensive game strategy helped his team outscore his opponents. Running a “no huddle” offense, the Delta Devils forced defenses to cover numerous receivers at once.

Cooley’s team began to ascend in 1983. They finished with a 7–2–1 record, including a 63–0 victory over the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on September 10. The team finished the season ranked 19th at the end of the FCS season. In 1984, Cooley’s team went 9–2, finished 6th in the final FCS poll, and made it to the school’s only I-AA playoffs. His offensive scheme featured two exceptionally talented players—quarterback Willie Totten, who would play briefly in the NFL and later coach at Mississippi Valley State, and wide receiver Jerry Rice. Of all the players coached by Cooley, Rice became the most accomplished. He was drafted in the NFL and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

In 1987 Cooley switched positions and became the head coach of former rival University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He coached at the university for four seasons. Cooley finished with a record of 27–13–2. During his time at UAPB, he was an associate professor and also served as athletic director. Another HBCU, Norfolk State University, hired Cooley to serve as head coach of its football team in 1993. Norfolk State had a subpar season, finishing 3–7–1, and Cooley remained for only a year. He finished his lengthy coaching career at Paul Quinn College, an HBCU located in Dallas, Texas. For six years, Cooley coached the football team until Paul Quinn College cancelled their football program. Cooley finished his coaching career with an 83–78–5 record.

After Cooley’s career ended, he was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. At Mississippi Valley State University, Cooley’s program earned two FCS records that stand to this day: most points per game (60.9 in 1984) and most passing touchdowns in a game (11 on 1 September 1984). Cooley’s teams also hold sixteen school records. In 2017 the university honored Cooley by naming the football program’s headquarters after him. On 18 April 2024, Cooley passed away at the age of eighty-five in Fort Worth, Texas.