Archie Cooley

Archie Cooley

Biographical details
Born	(1939-03-18)March 18, 1939 Sumrall, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	April 18, 2024(2024-04-18) (aged 85) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Jackson State University
Playing career
c. 1960	Jackson State
Position(s)	Center, linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1964–1970	Southside HS (MS)
1971–1973	Alcorn State (DL/LB)
1974–?	Tennessee State (LB)
1980–1986	Mississippi Valley State
1987–1990	Arkansas–Pine Bluff
1993	Norfolk State
2000–2006	Paul Quinn
Head coaching record
Overall	83–78–5 (college)
Bowls	0–1 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs)

Archie Lee Cooley Jr. (March 18, 1939 – April 18, 2024) was an American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi Valley State University from 1980 to 1986, University of Arkansas–Pine Bluff from 1987 to 1991, Norfolk State University in 1993, and Paul Quinn College from 2000 to 2006. At Mississippi Valley State, Cooley coached the tandem of Willie Totten and Jerry Rice, future College Football Hall of Fame quarterback and wide receiver, respectively.

Early life

Cooley was born on March 18, 1939 in Sumrall, Mississippi to Archie Lee Cooley Sr. and Bernice Cooley, and raised in Laurel, Mississippi, where he attended Oak Park High School. He played college football at Jackson State University under John Merritt. Cooley graduated in 1962, and married Georgia Ester Reed on December 28 of that year. The couple had two children, Dwight and Lisa.

Coaching career

Cooley began his coaching career at Southside High School in Heidelberg, Mississippi, where he worked for seven years. From 1971 to 1973 he was a linebacker and defensive line coach at Alcorn State University. Cooley moved to Tennessee State University in 1974 as a linebacker coach.

The success Cooley achieved at Mississippi Valley State is attributed to his design of his innovative "Satellite Express" passing offense, which was a no huddle offense featuring five wide receivers. Cooley led the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils to their only Division I-AA playoff appearance in 1984. The 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team set different passing, receiving, and scoring records that featured Jerry Rice and quarterback Willie Totten. To this day, Cooley is the winningest coach in the history of the Delta Devil football program. He also served as an associate professor of physical education at Mississippi Valley State.

In 1987 Cooley moved on to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which was then an NAIA member before the school moved up to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the 1990s. He coached there for four years, from 1987 to 1990, and served as athletic director and associate professor.

In 1993, Cooley was hired as head coach at Norfolk State University, where he stayed for only one year.

After a long hiatus from the coaching scene, Cooley returned when he became head coach at Paul Quinn College located in Dallas. Paul Quinn was an NAIA member school which was then establishing a new football program, and Cooley was responsible for starting the program from the ground up. He served as head coach from 2000 to 2006. The school was experiencing financial and accreditation issues and its administration decided to drop the football program after the 2006 season.

In 2007, Cooley was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.

Death

Cooley died in Fort Worth, Texas on April 18, 2024.

Head coaching record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	NCAA#
Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1980–1986)
1980	Mississippi Valley State	5–5	3–3	T–3rd
1981	Mississippi Valley State	4–6–1	2–4	T–5th
1982	Mississippi Valley State	5–5	2–4	5th
1983	Mississippi Valley State	7–2–1	4–2–1	4th		19
1984	Mississippi Valley State	9–2	6–1	2nd	L NCAA Division I-AA First Round	6
1985	Mississippi Valley State	8–3	5–2	T–3rd
1986	Mississippi Valley State	4–4–1	3–3–1	5th
Mississippi Valley State:		42–27–2	25–19–1
Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions (NAIA Division I independent) (1987–1990)
1987	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	7–4
1988	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	4–6–1
1989	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	7–2–1
1990	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	9–1
Arkansas–Pine Bluff:		27–13–2
Norfolk State Spartans (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1993)
1993	Norfolk State	3–7–1	2–5–1	T–8th
Norfolk State:		3–7–1	2–5–1
Paul Quinn Tigers () (2000–2006)
2000	Paul Quinn	0–2
2001	Paul Quinn	1–3
2002	Paul Quinn	4–2
2003	Paul Quinn	0–5
2004	Paul Quinn	1–7
2005	Paul Quinn	3–6
2006	Paul Quinn	2–6
Paul Quinn:		11–31
Total:		83–78–5