Oklahoma State University Athletics
Player Profile: Josh Cooper
November 16, 2010 | Cowboy Football
Nov. 16, 2010
By Jordie Lindley
OSU Media Relations
Josh Cooper has racked up over 400 receiving yards for Oklahoma State in 2010. He bleeds orange on the field every game. But before he reported to OSU for his freshman year in 2007, he was wearing another color.
“I wasn't always an OSU fan,” Cooper said. “I was an OU fan for a lot of my life. My mom was an OSU fan and my dad was an OU fan. But we are all OSU fans now.”
Following high school, Cooper had several scholarship offers but knew he wanted to be a Cowboy.
“OSU seemed like a good fit for me,” Cooper said. “When I came on my visit, I really enjoyed my time here.”
While Cooper's parents wanted him to choose the school that fit him best, he had other family members that were leaning more towards OSU.
“I had an uncle that played at OSU (Louis Blackwell) and that had something to do with it,” Cooper said. “He played here in the 80s.”
OSU also thought that Cooper would be a good fit for the Cowboy offense with his versatile playing ability.
“I never came off the field in high school,” Cooper said. “I was a kicker because I played soccer all my life; I also played receiver and on defense.”
During his senior season at Mustang High School, Cooper caught 81 passes for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also was credited with 84 tackles and six interceptions. On special teams, he had eight field goals, including a 42 yarder.
From never coming off the field during high school and then redshirting his freshman year at OSU, Cooper had to transition into a spectator mode.
“It was pretty hard for me to sit and watch everyone else get to play,” Cooper said. “I wasn't used to it; I had never been on the sidelines before.”
After a redshirt freshman year where he saw the ball twice to his sophomore year where he tied for third on the team in receptions and averaged 11.7 yards per grab, Cooper has stepped up his game in each of his seasons in Stillwater.
His sophomore year didn't come without problems though. Midway through the season, Cooper suffered an injury that would take him out of the lineup for several games.
“It kind of got me down a little bit, but the players on the team kept telling me to keep my head up and I just got back as soon as possible,” Cooper said. “It made me work harder.”
When most student athletes report to campus, they are excited to play as much as possible. But Cooper's road to 2010 was rocky.
“I wanted to play as much as I could, but some injuries that I had my first couple of years held me back and I didn't have much playing time,” Cooper said. “It just didn't turn out the way I wanted.”
The team's encouragement helped. This year Cooper has become one of the team's main threats, starting at inside receiver and also handling punt return duties.
“It is great, I really like it,” Cooper said. “As a receiver you want to have the ball in your hands. You want to be that guy that the quarterback depends on at times.”
OSU is off to a great season after the media had them finishing towards the bottom of the Big 12. The team, including Cooper, is happy with the way things are going.
“I love proving people wrong,” Cooper said.
Nebraska handed OSU its first loss of the season in a hard fought game on Oct. 23. Although it was a tough setback, Cooper and the Cowboys believe the team is still heading in the right direction.
“It is in the past and you have to move on,” Cooper said. “We are just working hard and preparing for the next game.”
