Early years
Cooley attended Logan High School in Logan, Utah, and lettered in football, wrestling, and baseball. As a senior football tight end, he caught 45 passes for 625 yards (13.34 yards per rec. avg.) and on defense, added eight sacks and numerous tackles. In wrestling, he posted a 54–0 record his senior season and won the state championship and All-America honors.
College career
Cooley finished his college football career at Utah State University with 95 receptions for 1,255 yards (13.2 yards per rec. avg.). He was part of a talented receiving corps with teammate Kevin Curtis who is currently a Free Agent.
In 2003, his senior season at Utah State, Cooley led the NCAA in receptions by a tight end.
Professional career
2004
In 2004, Cooley was drafted with the 81st pick in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. After being used sparingly in the first half of the 2004 season, Cooley began to be used more extensively in the last eight games, developing a rapport with Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey. In his first NFL season, Cooley led the team in touchdowns (with six), while recording 37 receptions for 314 yards, catching three passes of more than twenty yards, and getting 23 first downs. He finished the season with an average of 8.5 yards per catch. He was the Redskins' nominee for the NFL Man of the Year award for his work reading to children and feeding the poor. He is also known by the nickname "Johnny White Guy," which was given to him by Clinton Portis during one of Portis' colorful press conferences.
2005
During the 2005 season, Cooley blossomed as a receiver, catching 71 passes for 774 yards and seven touchdowns, including three in a game versus the rival Dallas Cowboys, breaking the Redskins franchise record for receptions as a tight end.Those three touchdowns ended up actually costing Cooley his fantasy football playoff game, because his opponent had Cooley on his fantasy team. He led all NFC tight ends in fan voting for the annual Pro Bowl with 422,314 votes, but following player and coach voting (each group has 1/3 weight), was not chosen for the position.
2006
In 2006, Cooley got off to a slow start under the play-calling of the Washington Redskins' new offensive coordinator, Al Saunders. With only three receptions in the first two weeks, Cooley appeared to not have a place in the new offensive scheme, but in the weeks following, became a growing part of the Redskins offense. Cooley ended the season with numbers slightly less than his sophomore outing, but was still one of the top tight ends in the game.
2007
In 2007, Cooley had scored in all but one game as of week six. In the sixth week, Cooley had 9 receptions for a career high 105 yards and one touchdown in a 17-14 loss against the Green Bay Packers. On December 18, 2007 Chris Cooley was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl team with Redskins tackle Chris Samuels, long-snapper Ethan Albright, and the late safety Sean Taylor. Cooley set an NFL record by being the only tight end in league history to have six or more touchdowns in each of his first four seasons.
2008
In 2008, Cooley scored only a single touchdown. In the fifth week, Cooley had 8 receptions for a career high 109 yards and one touchdown from a pass from Antwaan Randle El in a 23–17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles. Cooley finished the season with 83 catches for 849 yards and 1 touchdown, with career highs in both catches and yardage. Cooley was the only player not to get into the stat book in the 2009 Pro Bowl.
2009
On October 26, 2009, in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Chris Cooley sustained a break to his ankle.[4] It was initially speculated that Cooley would miss the remainder of the 2009 season. On October 27, 2009, Cooley commented via Twitter that the break may not be as bad as originally thought and that he could possibly return in as little as four weeks. His longest play of the year is a 66 yard touchdown.
On November 30, 2009, Cooley was officially placed on Injured Reserve.
Personal
Cooley currently lives in Leesburg, VA and is married to former Redskins cheerleader Christy Oglevee. Oglevee had been fired by the Redskins when it was learned she and Cooley were dating, a violation of team policy. Cooley and Oglevee were married on May 23, 2008. Cooley, occasionally referred to by his nickname "Captain Chaos," is known for his eccentric hair styles, affinity for heavy metal music, and what one reporter has called an " Animal House persona". This nickname was created when teammates bet him he would not go out to the opening coin toss and introduce himself to the opposing team captains as "Captain Chaos." Cooley did so and the nickname stuck.
Cooley maintains his own blog, "The Cooley Zone." He also maintains an online store through eBay, featuring jerseys, cards, and other personalized memorabilia. Cooley is an avid trading card collector, a hobby he rediscovered while searching for Chris Cooley football cards.
With his hair trimmed, he did a commercial for Reebok to boost his fantasy football value by catching a football one-handed through a thick sheet of drywall.
Cooley is Executive Producer of the independent film Ghosts Don't Exist, which began production in May 2009.
Cooley was featured in an episode of Jake and Amir for the comedy website CollegeHumor.
Cooley majored in art at Utah State, and now pursues a side career as a potter. He and his wife own an art gallery in Leesburg.
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