| Born: | (1932-01-11)January 11, 1932 Greenfield, Tennessee, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | February 14, 2002(2002-02-14) (aged 70) Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College | Toledo |
| NFL draft | 1958, round: 13, pick: 147 (by theGreen Bay Packers) |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1959 | Detroit Lions |
Gene Cook (January 11, 1932[1][note 1] – February 14, 2002) was an American player in theNational Football League (NFL),[2] an honored executive inminor league baseball, and a long-timeelected official inToledo, Ohio.
Cook is a member of theInternational League Hall of Fame.[1]
Cookplayed collegiately for theUniversity of Toledo. He was drafted in the 13th round of the1958 NFL draft by theGreen Bay Packers.[3] Cook was briefly awide receiver for theDetroit Lions, recording onereception during the1959 NFL season.[3] He later playedsemi-professional ball for theToledo Tornadoes.[4]
| Season | GP | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | ||
| 1959 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 0 | 43 | 1.0 | 43.0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 0 | 43 | 1.0 | 43.0 |
Cook was elected to theToledoCity Council in 1967.[5] Cook served continuously[4] in elected office until his retirement in 1997.[5] He served 13 years asvice mayor and three years as city council president. At the time of his death in 2002, his tenure was the longest in the history of the Toledo City Council.[5]
Cook served as thegeneral manager of theminor league baseballToledo Mud Hens of theInternational League from 1978 to 1998. He was the team's executive vice president from 1998 to 2002. He was named the International League's Executive of the Year in 1980.[1]
Under Cook's management, the average attendance at Mud Hens games would increase almost threefold.[1] Much of this was due to inventivemarketing. In his most well-known move, Cook sent a Mud Hens uniform to the fictional characterCpl. Max Klinger of the television showM*A*S*H, played by actorJamie Farr, a Toledo native.[6] Thereafter, mentions of the Mud Hens were frequently incorporated into the show's scripts, and the team gained nationwide attention.[1][6]
Cook was posthumously elected to theInternational League Hall of Fame in 2008.[1] The number 1 wasretired by the Mud Hens in his honor.[7]
Cook was married to his wife, Marion, for 45 years.[8] They had two sons, Gary and John, and a daughter, Shelly (Straube).[8]
Cook died in February 2002 after a brief illness.[8]