John B. Corker (born December 29, 1958) 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 wi ...

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, ...

who played four seasons 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 majo ...

, mainly for the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

, and eight seasons in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

. In 2002, Corker was elected into the

Arena Football League Hall of Fame An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

. Corker was named Big-8 Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 despite playing in only 7 games prior to tearing ligaments in his knee. He returned in 1979 and was 2nd team All Big-8 and All-American. He also played with the Michigan Panthers and the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. Corker graduated from

South Miami High School South Miami Senior High School is a high school located at 6856 SW 53rd Street in Glenvar Heights, - Compare this map against the address of the school. unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, in the United States; located about a mile and a ...

in 1976 (

South Miami, Florida South Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida in the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 11,657 at the 2010 census and as of 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was 11,911. South Miami's central business district is directl ...

,) where he played

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Corker was named USFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1983 after recording 28.5 sacks in 18 games while playing with the Michigan Panthers. Corker's efforts also led the Panthers to the USFL Championship that same season. After the Panthers merged with the Oakland Invaders before the 1985

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

season, Corker signed with the Memphis Showboats. One of his defensive mates was future NFL Hall of Famer, Reggie White. Corker finished his 3-year USFL career with 42 sacks in 54 games. In 1994 Corker resurfaced with the

Miami Hooters Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

playing 7 games for head coach Don Strock.

References

1958 births Living people Players of American football from Miami American football linebackers Oklahoma State Cowboys football players Houston Oilers players Green Bay Packers players Michigan Panthers players Memphis Showboats players Detroit Drive players Miami Hooters players {{linebacker-1950s-stub