Dexter Coakley
Encyclopedia
William Dexter Coakley is a former American football
linebacker
who played 10 seasons in the National Football League
. He was a third round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys
in the 1997 NFL Draft
, out of Division I-AA school Appalachian State
. Coakley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 2011 making him Appalachian State's first inductee.
, where he earned four letters in football
. He was the team's Most Valuable Player twice and was twice named all-conference as a defensive back
.
He posted 295 tackles in his final two years. He also lettered in wrestling.
Following High School, Coakley attended Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA) as a PG before attending Appalachian State.
While at Appalachian State, he won the first two Buck Buchanan Award
s, given each year to the nation's top Division I-AA defensive player. He was a critical part of the defense on the 1995 Mountaineer team that finished the season unbeaten and untied. He was also named All-America
n and Southern Conference
Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, junior and senior.
He was also named the Southern 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.
Coakley has received numerous accolades. Breaking the all-time solo tackles and sacks records as an Appalachian State Mountaineer, where his jersey number is retired.
Coakley earned a degree in communications and advertising.
, because he was considered an undersized linebacker
from a small college. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
in the third round.
Coakley became the Cowboys starter at weakside linebacker as a rookie and never relinquished the position.
His speed and athleticism allowed him to become a playmaker in Cowboys defenses that were built on speed and pursuit.
He was named to All-Rookie teams selected by Pro Football Weekly and Football News.
His string of seven consecutive 100-tackle seasons is the first such streak in the history of the Cowboys. In addition, he has reached double figures in tackles 37 times in 95 career regular season games.
In 1999, Coakley made 131 tackles and intercepted four passes, becoming the first Dallas linebacker
to go to the Pro Bowl
since Ken Norton Jr. in 1993.
He earned Pro Bowl
honors in 1999, 2001 and 2003.
Coakley also received the NFL's "All Iron MVP" award during the 1999 Thanksgiving Day game.
In the 90's, the Cowboys organization felt they could find linebackers through the draft, without the need of paying a premium and adversely impacting the salary cap, so they allowed talented and productive players like Ken Norton Jr., Darrin Smith
, Dixon Edwards
, Robert Jones
and Randall Godfrey
, to leave via free agency
, instead of signing them in to long-term contracts.
This philosophy ended when the Cowboys re-signed Dexter Coakley to a six year contract extension in 2001.
While Coakley started all 16 games in 2004, he shared significant time with rookie linebacker
Bradie 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.
In 2005 he was released because of salary cap considerations and because the team was switching to a 3-4 defense, that called for bigger, taller linebackers.
During his eight seasons with the Cowboys, he started all 127 of his games, and missed only one game midway through 2001 with a sprained knee.
Coakley is tied with Dennis Thurman
for the club record for defensive touchdowns with five, coming on fumble (one) and interception (four) returns.
He ranks fourth in club history with 1,046 tackles.
for nearly double the salary he was getting in Dallas, with a signing bonus of 14 million.
Coakley was a starter in 2005, registering 42 tackles, two sacks, and one interception in 12 games for Rams before suffering a season-ending fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle.
In 2006, he finished with 37 tackles and two interceptions as a backup, starting five games in place of the injured starter Pisa Tinoisamoa
.
In 2007, the Rams released Coakley.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who played 10 seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was a third round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
, out of Division I-AA school Appalachian State
Appalachian State Mountaineers football
The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the college football team at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Southern Conference since 1972, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
. Coakley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 2011 making him Appalachian State's first inductee.
Early days
Coakley graduated from Wando High SchoolWando High School
Wando High School is a high school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Home of the Wando Warriors, the school was built new in 2004 to accommodate the town's rapid growth during the 1990s. Located now on 1000 Warrior Way off Highway 17. Wando offers over 250 classes, including Advanced placement, Dual...
, where he earned four letters in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He was the team's Most Valuable Player twice and was twice named all-conference as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
.
He posted 295 tackles in his final two years. He also lettered in wrestling.
Following High School, Coakley attended Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA) as a PG before attending Appalachian State.
While at Appalachian State, he won the first two Buck Buchanan Award
Buck Buchanan Award
The Buck Buchanan Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football, and was first given in 1995 after the Walter Payton Award was designated solely for offensive players.The trophy was named in honor of the...
s, given each year to the nation's top Division I-AA defensive player. He was a critical part of the defense on the 1995 Mountaineer team that finished the season unbeaten and untied. He was also named All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, junior and senior.
He was also named the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
'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.
Coakley has received numerous accolades. Breaking the all-time solo tackles and sacks records as an Appalachian State Mountaineer, where his jersey number is retired.
Coakley earned a degree in communications and advertising.
Dallas days
Coakley dropped in the 1997 NFL Draft1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
, because he was considered an undersized linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
from a small college. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the third round.
Coakley became the Cowboys starter at weakside linebacker as a rookie and never relinquished the position.
His speed and athleticism allowed him to become a playmaker in Cowboys defenses that were built on speed and pursuit.
He was named to All-Rookie teams selected by Pro Football Weekly and Football News.
His string of seven consecutive 100-tackle seasons is the first such streak in the history of the Cowboys. In addition, he has reached double figures in tackles 37 times in 95 career regular season games.
In 1999, Coakley made 131 tackles and intercepted four passes, becoming the first Dallas linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
to go to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
since Ken Norton Jr. in 1993.
He earned Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
honors in 1999, 2001 and 2003.
Coakley also received the NFL's "All Iron MVP" award during the 1999 Thanksgiving Day game.
In the 90's, the Cowboys organization felt they could find linebackers through the draft, without the need of paying a premium and adversely impacting the salary cap, so they allowed talented and productive players like Ken Norton Jr., Darrin Smith
Darrin Smith
Darrin Andrew Smith is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. While with Dallas he won two Super Bowl rings. At different times in his pro career he has played all...
, Dixon Edwards
Dixon Edwards
Dixon Voldean Edwards, III is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League from 1991 through 1998...
, Robert Jones
Robert Jones (American football)
Robert Lee Jones is a former American football linebacker who played 10 seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the St...
and Randall Godfrey
Randall Godfrey
Randall Euralentris Godfrey is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. Godfrey played college football at the University of Georgia, where he majored in housing and consumer economics. He also played High School Football at Lowndes High School in Valdosta Georgia...
, to leave via free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
, instead of signing them in to long-term contracts.
This philosophy ended when the Cowboys re-signed Dexter Coakley to a six year contract extension in 2001.
While Coakley started all 16 games in 2004, he shared significant time with rookie linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Bradie James
Bradie James
Bradie Gene James is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-High school career :...
, 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.
In 2005 he was released because of salary cap considerations and because the team was switching to a 3-4 defense, that called for bigger, taller linebackers.
During his eight seasons with the Cowboys, he started all 127 of his games, and missed only one game midway through 2001 with a sprained knee.
Coakley is tied with Dennis Thurman
Dennis Thurman
Dennis Lee Thurman is a retired American football cornerback in the National Football League.- Early life :...
for the club record for defensive touchdowns with five, coming on fumble (one) and interception (four) returns.
He ranks fourth in club history with 1,046 tackles.
Rams days
Just one day after being released by the Cowboys, he was signed to a five-year contract, by the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
for nearly double the salary he was getting in Dallas, with a signing bonus of 14 million.
Coakley was a starter in 2005, registering 42 tackles, two sacks, and one interception in 12 games for Rams before suffering a season-ending fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle.
In 2006, he finished with 37 tackles and two interceptions as a backup, starting five games in place of the injured starter Pisa Tinoisamoa
Pisa Tinoisamoa
-St. Louis Rams:Tinoisamoa was drafted out of the University of Hawaii by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. On July 24, 2003, Tinoisamoa signed a four-year $2.90 million contract with the Rams....
.
In 2007, the Rams released Coakley.