Red Cochran: Difference between revisions

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Cochran graduated from [[Hueytown High School]] where he played both football and baseball. He was offered a scholarship in both sports at Wake Forest University and starred as a passing tailback for [[Peahead Walker]]'s Demon Deacons. He was named to the [[1942]] All-Southern Conference team.
Cochran graduated from [[Hueytown High School]] where he played both football and baseball. He was offered a scholarship in both sports at Wake Forest University and starred as a passing tailback for [[Peahead Walker]]'s Demon Deacons. He was named to the [[1942]] All-Southern Conference team.


After the outbreak of [[World War II]] he joined the Army Air Force as a bomber pilot. He served  with the 14th Air Force's 373rd Bomb Squadron and 308th Bomb Group in China. After leaving the service he returned to college and was an outfielder and clean-up hitter for the [[1946]] Demon Deacons baseball team.
After the outbreak of [[World War II]] he joined the Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot. He served  with the 14th Air Force's 373rd Bomb Squadron and 308th Bomb Group in China, mostly ferrying fuel to the U.S. air base at Kunming. After leaving the service he returned to college and was an outfielder and clean-up hitter for the [[1946]] Demon Deacons baseball team.


Cochran had already been drafted by the NFL's Card-Pitt combined team in [[1944]]. After graduating he joined the 1947 Chicago Cardinals as a cornerback, kick returner, punter and running back. As a rookie he helped Chicago win the NFL Championship by beating the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park. He went on to record 15 pass interceptions in 24 games and to set a team record for punt return average before being forced to retire due to a knee injury in [[1950]].
Cochran had already been drafted by the NFL's Card-Pitt combined team in [[1944]]. After graduating he joined the 1947 Chicago Cardinals as a cornerback, kick returner, punter and running back. As a rookie he helped Chicago win the NFL Championship by beating the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park. He went on to record 15 pass interceptions in 24 games and to set a team record for punt return average before being forced to retire due to a knee injury in [[1950]].


<!--returned as a [[Wake Forest Demon Deacons football|Demon Deacons]] assistant coach from 1951 to 1955. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 1973.
Cochran had also played Class D minor league baseball with the Goldsboro, North Carolina Goldbugs in [[1948]]. He returned to Wake Forest as an assistant coach from [[1951]] to [[1955]] and was hired as an assistant for the Detroit Lions in [[1956]]. In [[1959]] Vince Lombardi asked him to join his first staff for the Green Bay Packers. He coached the offensive backfield until [[1966]], tutoring quarterback [[Bart Starr]] along with the "Packer Sweep" rushing combo of Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston.


After a year away from coaching, Cochran joined the St Louis Cardinals staff in [[1968]], then moved to San Diego for a season with the Chargers in [[1970]]. He returned to Green Bay in [[1971]] and retired after the [[1974]] season. He continued to work for the team as a full time scout until [[1987]], and part time until his death in [[2004]].


In addition to pro football, Cochran also played minor league baseball in the offseason in 1948 for the Goldsboro (NC) Goldbugs in the Class D Coastal Plain league. That season Red had a batting average of .254 and a slugging percentage of .338 in 36 games.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cochran|first=Red|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=cochra002joh|publisher=BaseballReference.com|title=John Cochran Minor League Players stats|accessdate=18 June 2013}}</ref>
Cochran was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in [[1973]] and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in [[1997]]. He was posthumously inducted into the [[Alabama Sports Hall of Fame]] in [[2014]].


==Coaching career==
==References==
After being an assistant coach at Wake Forest from 1951 to 1955, Cochran was hired for his first NFL coaching position an assistant coach for the Detroit Lions, where he would coach from 1956 to 1958.  Red was the first assistant coach to be hired by Vince Lombardi for his staff as the offensive backfield <ref>{{cite book|last=Cochran|first=Red|title=Run To Daylight|year=1963|publisher=Prentice- Hall|page=30}}</ref> (including quarterbacks)coach for the Packers, where he would coach from 1959 to 1966. There he helped mold the NFL Hall of Fame backfield of Bart Starr, Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung, from a team that was the worst team in the NFL and the worst team in Packer's history in 1958. The pair of Hornung and Taylor, along with Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston were known for the legendary Packer Sweep, part of the most feared running attack in the NFL during the Packer dynasty of the 1960s, averaging 153.8 yards rushing per game. After a year away from football, Cochran would coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (1968–1969) and the San Diego Chargers (1970). He then went back to Green Bay as offensive backfield coach (1971–1974), his last coaching position. Then, from 1975 until his death in 2004, he was a scout for the Packers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cochran|first=Red|title=Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Inductees 1973|url=http://www.wakeforestsports.com/trads/hof-1973.html|accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>
* Christl<!--sic-->, Cliff (September 5, 2004) "Packers fixture dies suddenly." ''Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel''
 
* McCarter, Mark (May 12, 2014) "ASHOF Class of 2014: Red Cochran was integral part of Green Bay Packers' storied history." {{BN}}
Cochran's teams, in 52 years as a player (1947–1950), assistant coach (1956–1966, 1968–1974) and scout (1975–2004), played in 10 NFL championship games, and won seven. In 1997 he was inducted into the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cochran|first=Red|title=Packer Hall of Fame Inductees|url=http://www.packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/hall-of-famers.html|accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>
* "[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_Cochran Red Cochran]" (February 22, 2016) Wikipedia - accessed February 22, 2016
 
In 2014 Cochran was posthumously inducted into his home state's Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, AL for his lifetime achievements in sports, primarily in football.<ref>http://ashof.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=InductionBanquet&category=TicketInformation</ref>-->


==References==
* [http://www.wakeforestsports.com/trads/hof-1973.html accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>


{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, Red}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, Red}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:US Army personnel]]
[[Category:World War II veterans]]
[[Category:World War II veterans]]
[[Category:Professional football players]]
[[Category:Professional football players]]

Revision as of 15:32, 22 February 2016

John Thurman "Red" Cochran Jr (born August 2, 1922 in Fairfield; died September 5, 2004 in Green Bay, Wisconsin) was an NFL cornerback, assistant coach and scout.

Cochran graduated from Hueytown High School where he played both football and baseball. He was offered a scholarship in both sports at Wake Forest University and starred as a passing tailback for Peahead Walker's Demon Deacons. He was named to the 1942 All-Southern Conference team.

After the outbreak of World War II he joined the Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot. He served with the 14th Air Force's 373rd Bomb Squadron and 308th Bomb Group in China, mostly ferrying fuel to the U.S. air base at Kunming. After leaving the service he returned to college and was an outfielder and clean-up hitter for the 1946 Demon Deacons baseball team.

Cochran had already been drafted by the NFL's Card-Pitt combined team in 1944. After graduating he joined the 1947 Chicago Cardinals as a cornerback, kick returner, punter and running back. As a rookie he helped Chicago win the NFL Championship by beating the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park. He went on to record 15 pass interceptions in 24 games and to set a team record for punt return average before being forced to retire due to a knee injury in 1950.

Cochran had also played Class D minor league baseball with the Goldsboro, North Carolina Goldbugs in 1948. He returned to Wake Forest as an assistant coach from 1951 to 1955 and was hired as an assistant for the Detroit Lions in 1956. In 1959 Vince Lombardi asked him to join his first staff for the Green Bay Packers. He coached the offensive backfield until 1966, tutoring quarterback Bart Starr along with the "Packer Sweep" rushing combo of Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston.

After a year away from coaching, Cochran joined the St Louis Cardinals staff in 1968, then moved to San Diego for a season with the Chargers in 1970. He returned to Green Bay in 1971 and retired after the 1974 season. He continued to work for the team as a full time scout until 1987, and part time until his death in 2004.

Cochran was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1997. He was posthumously inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

References

  • Christl, Cliff (September 5, 2004) "Packers fixture dies suddenly." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
  • McCarter, Mark (May 12, 2014) "ASHOF Class of 2014: Red Cochran was integral part of Green Bay Packers' storied history." The Birmingham News
  • "Red Cochran" (February 22, 2016) Wikipedia - accessed February 22, 2016
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