| No. 63, 68 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1970-08-07)August 7, 1970 (age 54) Mechanicville, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Mechanicville | ||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1993: 3rd round, 84th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Joe Cocozzo (born August 7, 1970) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive guard for theSan Diego Chargers of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 1997. He playedcollege football for theMichigan Wolverines from 1989 to 1992, earning second-teamAll-American honors in 1992.
Cocozzo was born inMechanicville, New York, in 1970. He attendedMechanicville High School.[1] He was a star football player for the Mechanicville Red Raiders.[2] His high school honored him at a 2013 ceremony in which his jersey (#77) was put on permanent display.[3]
Cocozzo enrolled at theUniversity of Michigan in 1988 and playedcollege football for theMichigan Wolverines football teams as anoffensive tackle in 1989 and as anoffensive guard from 1990 to 1992.[4] He started 32 games at right guard—eight in 1990,[5] 12 in 1991,[6] and 12 in 1992.[7] Cocozzo played for the undefeated1992 Michigan team that compiled a 9–0–3 record, won theBig Ten Conference championship, and defeatedWashington in the1993 Rose Bowl.[7] At the end of the 1992 season, he was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player and a second-team All-American.[7][8] He also played in the 1993Senior Bowl.[9]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 300 lb (136 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) | 5.30 s | 1.79 s | 3.03 s | 4.63 s | 22.0 in (0.56 m) | 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) | 26 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[10] | ||||||||||||
Cocozzo was selected by theSan Diego Chargers in the third round (64th overall pick) of the1993 NFL draft.[11] In July 1993, he signed a three-year contract with the Chargers.[12] He played five seasons for the Chargers from 1993 to 1997. He appeared in 77 NFL games, including 48 games as a starter.[1] He started 13 regular season games at left guard for the1994 San Diego Chargers that won the AFC Championship Game, but lostSuper Bowl XXIX to theSan Francisco 49ers.[1][2]
He signed with theWashington Redskins as a free agent in June 1998.[13] He injured his elbow during training camp and was cut with an injury settlement. After rehabilitating for a year, he went to training camp with theNew Orleans Saints in 1999. He broke ribs on the first day of training camp when he was hit by a running back. He announced his official retirement before the 2000 season.[14]
Cocozzo retired from football after suffering injuries, ultimately undergoing three operations on his left shoulder. When his playing career was over, he returned to Stillwater and purchased 350 acres adjacent to theSaratoga Battlefield.[14] He later married Amanda Marshall. He and his wife have two sons, Anthony and James.[3]