Garry Wilbert Cobb (born March 16, 1957 in

Carthage, North Carolina Carthage is the county seat of Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,635 at the 2020 Census. Geography Carthage is located at (35.329441, -79.408475). According to the United States Ce ...

) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. He is currently a Philadelphia Eagles analyst for Fox affiliate

WTXF-TV WTXF-TV (channel 29) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the Fox network. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on Market ...

and 94.1 WIP. Cobb also got into politics for a short time, becoming the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee for

New Jersey's 1st congressional district New Jersey's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district, which includes Camden and South Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia, has been represented by Democrat Donald Norcross since November 2 ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, ultimately losing that election to

Donald Norcross Donald W. Norcross (born December 13, 1958) is an American politician and labor leader who is the U.S. representative for in South Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, Norcross was first elected to this congressional seat in 2014, followi ...

Early years

Cobb often tells amusing stories on the radio about how it was while his father and mother raised him and the other kids and growing up together with his siblings in North Carolina and Connecticut. A 1975 graduate of Stamford High School in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

, he was a standout for the Black Knights and a two-sport All-American in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. He also lettered in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

College career

Cobb accepted a

scholarship from the

to play for the

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 Con ...

team. He played on two Rose Bowl championship teams and one National Championship team. He played as an

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in his first three years. As a junior, he was second on the team in tackles. He was moved to

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

as a senior and earned honorable-mention All-Pac-10 in 1978. He graduated in 1979 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

. He also practiced

as a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

for two years. After graduation, he was offered contracts by the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, but opted to play in the

instead.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

Cobb was selected by the

in the ninth round (247th overall) of the

1979 NFL Draft The 1979 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 May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria ...

. He was waived on August 21.

Detroit Lions

On October 24, 1979, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

. He played mainly on the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

units during his first two years, until becoming a full-time starter at

strongside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, while recording 121 tackles (second on the team), 3 interceptions, 2.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. In

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

, he missed three games with a knee injury and finished with 33 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 passes defensed. The next year, he registered 150 tackles (fourth on the team), 4 interceptions (tied for second on the team), 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles and one sack. Cobb was a three-time defensive captain and also helped the Lions reach the playoffs in

and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

. In

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, he registered 128 tackles and 3 sacks. After holding out during the 1985 offseason, the Lions started discussing trading him to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

for the rights to Anthony Carter. After the deal fell through, he was traded to the

in exchange for the Eagles then all-time leading rusher

Wilbert Montgomery Wilbert Montgomery (born September 16, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. He was also the running ...

, who was also in the middle of a contract dispute.

Philadelphia Eagles

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, he registered 97 tackles and 5 sacks. In

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, he posted 102 tackles, 6 sacks, one interception, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He was named

NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...

Defensive Player of the Week after playing against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in week five, he registered 9 tackles, 4 sacks (team record), a pass defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a shutout win (16–0). He held the franchise single game sack record, until

Clyde Simmons Clyde Simmons Jr. (born August 4, 1964) is a former American football defensive end and current college defensive line coach. Playing career College Simmons played college football at Western Carolina Catamounts football, Western Carolina Univer ...

surpassed it with a 4.5 sack effort in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

. He was released on August 22, 1988. While with the

, he started 39 of 44 games mostly at

weakside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. He was a teammate of quarterback

Randall Cunningham Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known for ...

and played in one of coach

Buddy Ryan James David "Buddy" Ryan (February 17, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of the ...

's most dominant defensive units which included

Jerome Brown Willie Jerome Brown III (February 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992) was an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987 to 199 ...

Seth Joyner Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. ...

and Hall of Famer

Reggie White Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for ...

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On August 25, 1988, he signed with the

as a

, after they were experiencing several injuries at the

position to players that included

Jeff Rohrer Jeffrey Charles Rohrer (born December 25, 1958) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Yale University and was NFL Draft, drafted in the second round of ...

Mike Hegman Michael William Hegman (born January 17, 1953) is a former American football linebacker who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Tennessee State University. Early year ...

Ken Norton Jr. Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) from 2018 to 2021. H ...

Jesse Penn Jesse Andrew Penn II (born September 6, 1962) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He played college foot ...

and Jeff Hurd. He started 14 games at

, tallying 104 tackles (third on the team), one fumble recovery and tied with Danny Noonan for the team lead with 7.5 sacks. Against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, he had 10 tackles, one sack, pass defensed and a forced fumble. The next game against the

, he recorded 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, after experiencing problems with his left knee and missing most of the season, he was cut on December 18.

Radio and TV career

After his retirement from football, Cobb transitioned to being a television and radio personality in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

area. He has earned the nickname "G Cobb". His trademark radio show expression has become "G Cobb in the House!" In 1997 he became a sports reporter with CBS 3's Eyewitness News Team and remained for several years. Today, he is currently on local Fox affiliate

serving as Eagles analyst for its pregame and postgame shows. In July 2007, Cobb began writing Eagles columns for '' The Bulletin'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia

Website publishing

Cobb is now the principal operator of a Philadelphia Eagles news and rumors website known as GCobb.com. The site claims that 100,000 fans visit and read from the website monthly. In a notable scoop, it was two hours prior to the official start of the 2008 NFL

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

period when Cobb's site reported correctly that cornerback

Asante Samuel Asante T. Samuel Sr. (born January 6, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Accra, Ghana and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He played college fo ...

had already reached a deal with the Eagles.

Run for Congress

In 2014, Cobb ran for the Republican nomination for

. He was initially recruited to potentially run in

New Jersey's 3rd congressional district New Jersey's 3rd congressional district is represented by Democrat Andy Kim of Moorestown who has served in Congress since 2019. It is one of seven districts that voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election while being held by a ...

instead, which meant if he won, he could succeed another Republican and former

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, Jon Runyan, who was not running for re-election to the House. Cherry Hill, Cobb's town of residence, had previously been in the 3rd District until the redistricting following the 2010 Census, when it was moved to the more Democratic-leaning 1st district, and Cobb chose to run there instead. He won the Republican nomination and faced Democrat

, at the time a New Jersey State Senator, in the November general election. However, Norcross (D) (57.4%, 93,315 votes) ended up defeating Cobb (R) (39.4%, 64,073 votes).

Personal life

Cobb resides in

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census.

with his wife Gwendolyn, whom he met while in college. They have three adult children together - two daughters, and a son, Garry Cobb II, who played cornerback at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

(1998–2002). He is known for his interest in urban youth and was honored in 2002 by then-President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

for his work as a mentor to troubled youngsters. He is a former member of the Board of Caring People Alliance of Philadelphia, which operates the ELRC, 3 Boys & Girls Clubs, and Older Adults programming. He is the author of a book entitled ''Don't Be Clueless: 7 Keys to Life in the Real World'', which is targeted to the challenges of urban youth.

References

External links

Official Website

Garry's Message: Respect Yourself The Cobbs: A Success Story X 7
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Garry 1957 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American players of American football American athlete-politicians American football linebackers American sports radio personalities Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players New Jersey Republicans People from Carthage, North Carolina People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Connecticut Sportspeople from Stamford, Connecticut Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut) alumni USC Trojans football players