Johnie Cooks, a linebacker who starred at Mississippi State before going on to a 10-year NFL career, died on Thursday. He was 64.
"When you think of Mississippi State Football, you think of legends like Johnie Cooks," Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett wrote on Twitter. "The Bulldog Family lost an all-time great today. On behalf of our program, we extend our condolences to the Cooks family."
A cause of death was not announced.
The Baltimore Colts made Cooks the No. 2 overall selection in the 1982 NFL Draft. He finished sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in the strike-shortened 1982 season and went on to play six-plus seasons for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts.