Eugene Oliver Cockrell (June 10, 1934 – May 16, 2020) was an
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 wi ...
offensive tackle who played three seasons with the
New York Titans of the
American Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
of 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 ...
(NFL) in the 28th round of the
1957 NFL Draft
The 1957 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on November 26, 1956, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia and its final twenty-six rounds on January 31, 1957 at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel also in Philadelphia.
This wa ...
. He played
college football at
Oklahoma and
Hardin–Simmons. He was also a member of the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in ...
of the
Western Interprovincial Football Union
The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagu ...
(WIFU).
He was inducted into the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Early years and college career
Cockrell attended
Pampa High School in
Pampa, Texas
Pampa (from the Quechua: ''pampa'', meaning "plain") is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. Its population was 16,867 as of the 2020 census. Pampa is the county seat of Gray County and is the principal city of the Pampa micropolit ...
.
He first played
college football for the
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Ru ...
of the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
. He left the University due to his job as a professional on the
rodeo circuit.
He re-enrolled in school to play for the
Hardin–Simmons Cowboys of
Hardin–Simmons University
Hardin–Simmons University (HSU) is a private Baptist university in Abilene, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention).
History
Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist ...
after concluding, with the help of
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football player and coach. During his college and professional careers, he most notably played quarterback, but also played as a safety and punter. He ...
, that he should return to college.
Professional career
Cockrell was selected by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
of the NFL with the 330th pick in the
1957 NFL Draft
The 1957 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on November 26, 1956, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia and its final twenty-six rounds on January 31, 1957 at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel also in Philadelphia.
This wa ...
.
He played in twelve games for the WIFU's
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in ...
in 1957.
He played for the
New York Titans of the AFL from 1960 to 1962.
He died on May 16, 2020, in
Decatur, Texas at age 85.
References
External links
Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockrell, Gene
1934 births
2020 deaths
American football offensive tackles
Canadian football offensive linemen
American players of Canadian football
Oklahoma Sooners football players
Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
New York Titans (AFL) players
Players of American football from Texas
People from Pampa, Texas