| No. 52 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1972-10-20)October 20, 1972 (age 52) Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Wando (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | Appalachian State (1993–1996) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1997: 3rd round, 65th pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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William Dexter Coakley (born October 20, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for ten seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football inDivision I-AA for theAppalachian State Mountaineers, and was selected in the third round of the1997 NFL draft by theDallas Cowboys. Coakley was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2011, making him Appalachian State's first inductee.[1]
Coakley graduated fromWando High School, where he earned four letters infootball. He was the team's Most Valuable Player twice and was twice named all-conference as asafety, after posting 295 tackles in his final two years.
He was a very productiverunning back, rushing for over 2,000 yards his junior and senior years.[2]He also lettered inwrestling.
In order to meet academic requirements for College, Coakley attendedFork Union Military Academy'spost-graduate program for one year, before accepting a scholarship toAppalachian State University.
While atAppalachian State University he grew bigger and was switched tolinebacker, becoming the first two-time winner of theBuck Buchanan Awards, given each year to the nation's topDivision I-AA defensive player. He was a critical part of the defense on the 1995 Mountaineer team that finished the season unbeaten and untied.[3]
Coakley was namedAll-American andSouthern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, junior and senior, becoming the first player ever to accomplish this feat. He was also theSouthern Conference's Athlete of the Year as a junior and senior, marking just the seventh time in conference history that one individual had earned that distinction in consecutive years.[4]
His numerous accolades include being second all-time in tackles inSouthern Conference history and breaking the all-time solo tackles (616) and sacks records atAppalachian State University, where his jersey number is retired. He earned a degree in communications and advertising.
In 2011, he was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame and theSouthern Conference Hall of Fame.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft9+5⁄8 in (1.77 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.52 s | 1.62 s | 2.66 s | 4.21 s | 7.48 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) | 21 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
Coakley was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the third round (65th overall) of the1997 NFL draft, after dropping because he was considered an undersizedlinebacker with a small college background.[6]
He became the starter atweakside linebacker as a rookie in preseason, after competing with second-year playerAlan Campos and would never relinquish the position, registering 136 tackles, 10 tackles for loss (led the team), one interception and one fumble returned for atouchdown.[7] At the end of the season, he was named to theNFL All-Rookie team. His speed and athleticism allowed him to become a playmaker in Cowboys defenses that were built around speed and pursuit.
In1999, he made 131 tackles and intercepted four passes, becoming the first Cowboyslinebacker to go to thePro Bowl sinceKen Norton Jr. in1993. Coakley also received theNFL's "All Iron MVP" award during that year's Thanksgiving Day game.
In the 90's, the Cowboys organization felt they could findlinebackers through the draft, without the need of paying a premium and adversely impacting the salary cap, so they allowed talented and productive players likeKen Norton Jr.,Darrin Smith,Dixon Edwards,Robert Jones andRandall Godfrey, to leave viafree agency, instead of signing them into long-term contracts. This philosophy ended when the Cowboys re-signed Coakley to a six-year contract extension in2001.
In2002, he led the team with 173 tackles.[8] While Coakley started all 16 games in2004, he shared significant time with second yearlinebackerBradie James, finishing the year with a career-low 91 tackles (60 solo), ending a streak of seven consecutive 100-tackle seasons. He also had 6 quarterback pressures and 5 passes defensed. At the end of the2004 season he was released because of salary cap considerations and a switch to a3–4 defense, which is designed for bigger and tallerlinebackers.
His string of seven consecutive 100-tackle seasons is a franchise record. In addition, he reached double figures in tackles 37 times in 95 career regular season games. He earnedPro Bowl honors in1999,2001 and2003.
During his eight seasons with the Cowboys, he was a very durable player starting 127 out of 128 games, his only missed game was midway through the2001 season because of a sprained knee. Coakley is tied withDennis Thurman andDaRon Bland for the club record for defensivetouchdowns with five, coming onfumble (one) andinterception (four) returns. He is the fourth leading tackler in franchise history with 1,046.[9]
One day after being released by the Cowboys, he was signed to a five-year contract, by theSt. Louis Rams for nearly double the salary he was getting in Dallas, with a signing bonus of $14 million. Coakley was a starter in2005, registering 42 tackles, two sacks, and oneinterception in 12 games for the Rams, before suffering a season-ending fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle.
In2006, he finished with 37 tackles and twointerceptions as a backup, starting five games in place of the injured starterPisa Tinoisamoa. He was released by the Rams in2007.
| Year | Team | Games | Combined Tackles | Tackles | Assisted Tackles | Sacks | Forced Fumbles | Fumble Recoveries | Fumble Return Yards | Interceptions | Interception Return Yards | Yards per Interception Return | Longest Interception Return | Interceptions Returned for Touchdown | Passes Defended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | DAL | 16 | 92 | 69 | 23 | 2.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 1998 | DAL | 16 | 73 | 55 | 18 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 5 |
| 1999 | DAL | 16 | 77 | 61 | 16 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 119 | 30 | 46 | 1 | 6 |
| 2000 | DAL | 16 | 87 | 75 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2001 | DAL | 15 | 96 | 73 | 23 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 20 | 29 | 2 | 5 |
| 2002 | DAL | 16 | 108 | 84 | 24 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 1 | 8 |
| 2003 | DAL | 16 | 96 | 73 | 23 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 6 |
| 2004 | DAL | 16 | 71 | 53 | 18 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2005 | STL | 12 | 38 | 28 | 10 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 2006 | STL | 16 | 29 | 26 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Career | 155 | 767 | 597 | 170 | 9.5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 274 | 21 | 52 | 4 | 47 |
Coakley's son Zahn is a freshmanwide receiver at his father's alma materAppalachian State.[11]
He is now thelinebackers coach atThe Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas, along with fellow formerNFL playerCarlos Francis.