oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 CINCINNATI - Greg Cook was admitted to an area hospital for treatment of pneumonia. Due to serious pre-existing conditions, he has not responded to treatment. A source close to the former University of Cincinnati and Bengals quarterback is in the intensive care unit after his health has taken a turn for the worse. His family has gathered to keep vigil. Cook set dozens of passing and offensive records at UC before being drafted by the Bengals in 1969. Read more: [url="http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/former-bengals-star-qb-greg-cook-in-intensive-care#ixzz1kfN4wh6Y"]http://www.wcpo.com/...e#ixzz1kfN4wh6Y[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeBengal Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [b][url="http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/former-bengals-star-qb-greg-cook-in-intensive-care"]According to WCPO,[/url] [/b]former UC and Bengals standout quarterback Greg Cook has died. Per the report, Cook was admitted to an area hospital for treatment of pneumonia Thursday evening .... [url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/01/27/report-greg-cook-dies/"]http://cincinnati.co...greg-cook-dies/[/url] prayers to his family.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcat Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 RIP Greg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FulcherVulcher33 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [quote name='TeeBengal' timestamp='1327679002' post='1092531'] [b][url="http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/former-bengals-star-qb-greg-cook-in-intensive-care"]According to WCPO,[/url] [/b]former UC and Bengals standout quarterback Greg Cook has died. Per the report, Cook was admitted to an area hospital for treatment of pneumonia Thursday evening .... [url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/01/27/report-greg-cook-dies/"]http://cincinnati.co...greg-cook-dies/[/url] prayers to his family.... [/quote] Tragic news. If not for the injury, imho he would have been the best quarterback in franchise history. Paul Brown referred to him as "his son". So very sorry to hear that. He and his family will be in my prayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Rest in peace to who should have been the greatest QB to ever play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texbengal Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Wow, sad news. I remember reading about him, and how had he not been hurt, he could have been an all-time great. I saw a TV show one time, and he became an artist after he played football. RIP to a very talented guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I think what was so telling about him as a human being was how at peace he was with his injury shortened career. I'm not sure how many people could handle a lost opportunity for greatness with such grace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [img]http://cdn.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-product-image/51-t1189488-500.jpg[/img] An all-time Bengal great. Gone way too early. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg Cook has died. Cook played with the Bengals from 1969 to 1973. He was an All-American at the University of Cincinnati. The Bengals grabbed him with their first pick in 1969. Cook still holds the Bengals team record for average yards per passing attempt. In that first season he averaged 9.4 yards per pass. His career was cut short by a shoulder injury. Cook passed away at a Cincinnati-area hospital. Officials have not commented on his cause of death. He was 65 years old. http://www.local12.com/News/Local/story/Former-Bengals-Quarterback-James-Cook-Dies/OT5KHl3cv0aPDfShbFRvoQ.cspx Rest in Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [url="https://twitter.com/#!/Bengals"]Bengals[/url]Cincinnati Bengals The [url="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Bengals"][s]#[/s][b]Bengals[/b][/url] organization wishes to express its sadness over the loss of former QB Greg Cook, who died last night in Cincinnati at age 65. [url="https://twitter.com/#!/Bengals/status/162940064895221761"]45 seconds ago[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [size=6][b]Bengals mourn death of Greg Cook[/b][/size] By GEOFF HOBSON Posted 2 minutes ago Calling him “the greatest talent,” to ever play for the Bengals as well as a good friend, club president Mike Brown is mourning the death of former quarterback Greg Cook. Cook, 65, the last man to lead the American Football League in passing before the merger as a rookie, died after an illness Thursday night in Cincinnati. Cook did what Andy Dalton and Cam Newton didn’t do this past season and led his league with 15 touchdown passes in 11 games in 1969 before his season and career were cut short with a torn rotator cuff. In what has become one of the greatest what-ifs in sports history, Cook appeared in only one other NFL game and it wasn’t until four years later. Brown calls him “John Elway before John Elway,” and the late Bill Walsh who coached him before coaching Joe Montana to three Super Bowl titles said Cook could have been the greatest quarterback to ever play. Cook, a University of Cincinnati product, was the fifth pick in the draft in 1969. “I’ve lost a good friend,” Brown said Friday morning. “Greg had a good heart. He never lost his interest in quarterbacks and he would come into my office and visit with me and we would talk about prospects. He was a great quarterback. He could do it all. He was mobile, big, strong, accurate. It was the kind of injury that today could have been repaired just like that.” Cook was impressed with Dalton, the man who broke all his rookie records this past season. As recently as late Friday he gave the thumbs-up. “I like him. I think he’s going to be a good one if he doesn’t get killed,” said Cook of his pass protection concerns. Funeral arrangements are pending. http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-mourn-death-of-Greg-Cook/a3ef0a6b-3add-4923-a1a4-bbcccb522b57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [size=6][b]Statement from the Bengals on Greg Cook[/b][/size] 01/27/12 at 11:48am • Written by nhurm From the Bengals: The Bengals organization wishes to express its sadness over the loss of former QB Greg Cook, who died last night in Cincinnati at age 65, after an illness. Cook was one of the brightest prospects in Bengals history, but he saw significant playing time only as a rookie in 1969. His career was derailed by a shoulder injury during that season, when he had joined the Bengals as the fifth overall pick in the NFL/AFL draft. Cook was from Chillicothe, Ohio, and was a nationally recognized college star at the University of Cincinnati. Cook was declared by the American Football League as its 1969 passing champion, based on average league ranking over several categories. Particularly gifted on long passes, he posted a league-leading average of 9.41 yards per attempt, a figure which remains a Bengals record. He was named AFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by Associated Press and United Press International. But in Game 3 of 1969, on Sept. 28 at Kansas City, Cook suffered a shoulder injury while helping lead the second-year Bengals to a win that brought their profile to a new height in Cincinnati. The Bengals triumphed 24-19 over a Chiefs team that would go on to win Super Bowl IV, and Cincinnati moved to a 3-0 record. Cook missed the next three games but returned to action later in the ’69 season. He totaled 11 games, passing 106-for-197 for 1854 yards with 15 TDs and 11 interceptions. But his injury later required several surgeries, beginning with the 1970 offseason, and he never was able to return to full action. He remained a member of the Bengals through 1974, but his only action after ’69 was a brief appearance in one game in 1973. “Greg was the single most talented player we’ve ever had with the Bengals,” said Bengals president Mike Brown. “His career was tragically short due to the injury. Had he been able to stay healthy, I believe he would have been the player of his era in the NFL. “Greg was a personal friend to me,” Brown added. “He was a good person whose company I enjoyed over all his years as a player and after that. I feel a great loss at his passing.” At the time the Bengals drafted Cook, general manager and head coach Paul Brown said, “We believe this young man is the best quarterback prospect in the country.” (Click the link for the entire article) [url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/01/27/statement-from-the-bengals-on-greg-cook/"]http://cincinnati.co...s-on-greg-cook/[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [quote name='oldschooler' timestamp='1327684061' post='1092546'] Cook was impressed with Dalton, the man who broke all his rookie records this past season. As recently as late Friday he gave the thumbs-up. “I like him. I think he’s going to be a good one if he doesn’t get killed,” said Cook of his pass protection concerns. [/quote] That's awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBeaverHunter Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 The best that never was.....he would have been a beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [b] [size=6]Former Bengals quarterback Greg Cook dies at 65[/size][/b] Posted by Michael David Smith on January 27, 2012, 12:18 PM EST Greg Cook, a Bengals quarterback whose immense talent was never fully realized because of a shoulder injury suffered in his third professional game, has died at the age of 65 after being hospitalized with pneumonia. The Bengals selected Cook with the fifth overall pick in the 1969 NFL draft and instantly fell in love with his arm, proclaiming him the starter and releasing their starting quarterback from the previous year. Paul Brown, the Hall of Famer who at the time was the Bengals’ head coach and general manager, said, “We believe this young man is the best quarterback prospect in the country.” Cincinnati started that season 3-0 with Cook leading the way, but in the third win, over eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City, Cook suffered a serious shoulder injury. He played through the shoulder pain for much of the remainder of that season, but by the end of the year his shoulder was so badly damaged that he would miss the next three seasons, then return to play just one more game before retiring for good. “I tore my rotator cuff and we didn’t know it at the time because we didn’t have the medical attention that you have today,” Cook recalled years later. Amazingly, Cook led the league in passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt and yards per completion as a rookie playing through a torn rotator cuff. But by the time the season was over and doctors operated, there was little they could do. The relatively primitive surgical procedure used for such injuries in the 1960s required cutting through muscles, which only damaged Cook’s shoulder further. “Greg was the single most talented player we’ve ever had with the Bengals,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement released by the team today. “His career was tragically short due to the injury. Had he been able to stay healthy, I believe he would have been the player of his era in the NFL.” In his book [i]Greatest Quarterbacks[/i], Peter King rated Cook as one of the 50 best players ever to play the position, even though Cook played in just 12 professional games. Longtime [i]Sports Illustrated[/i] writer Paul Zimmerman called Cook’s rookie year [url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/dr_z/12/12/top.qb.seasons/"]one of the greatest individual seasons any quarterback has ever had[/url], and Bill Walsh, the Bengals’ offensive coach at the time, said years later that Cook could have been the greatest quarterback ever. NFL Network [url="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d807434bc/Top-Ten-One-Shot-Wonders-Greg-Cook"]ranked Cook as the greatest one-shot wonder professional football has ever seen[/url]. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/27/former-bengals-quarterback-greg-cook-dies-at-65/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky151 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 RIP. I met him once in the late 70s at a sports camp in Ross county. He couldn't throw at an NFL level but still threw to coach the campers. It must have hurt like hell but he was calm and kind to us kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [quote]“Greg was the single most talented player we’ve ever had with the Bengals,”[/quote] Hard to say for sure considering what happened to Cook, but Munoz was pretty damn talented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hint of Snow Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 An incredibly sweet yet troubled man. I considered him a friend. There was nothing better than his brief stint as a UC Football Radio guy. Even though I haven't seen him in awhile I will still miss him. The stories always make me laugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcat Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I was only 6 years old in his only real season so I have no memories other than what has been said/written about his talent. Sounds like it would have been a talent that could have taken on the steroid enduced Steel curtain back in the 70's. RIP Mr. Cook...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elijah15 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I never knew about greg cook but i just read about him and wow was he that good?! R.I.P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [quote name='Elijah15' timestamp='1327701720' post='1092583'] I never knew about greg cook but i just read about him and wow was he that good?! R.I.P [/quote] Yes, he really was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#22 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 This is a pretty excellent video: [url="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d807434bc/Top-Ten-One-Shot-Wonders-Greg-Cook"]http://www.nfl.com/v...nders-Greg-Cook[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elijah15 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [quote name='#22' timestamp='1327705607' post='1092586'] This is a pretty excellent video: [url="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d807434bc/Top-Ten-One-Shot-Wonders-Greg-Cook"]http://www.nfl.com/v...nders-Greg-Cook[/url] [/quote] Wow what a great video Such a shame to see a career go to waste like that What could have been Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted January 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister"]LanceMcAlister[/url]Lance McAlister Trumpy on Cook: I saw him Monday at the hospital...I wish I hadn't. I'd never seen someone on life support. [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister/status/163039443895324675"]5 minutes ago[/url] [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister"]LanceMcAlister[/url]Lance McAlister Trump: Mike Brown led the way in those trying to help Greg. He paid for surgeries. He tried to employ him. [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister/status/163039656835940352"]5 minutes ago[/url] [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister"]LanceMcAlister[/url]Lance McAlister "I believe Mike covered his final days at Christ Hospital. A 1,000 people tried to help Greg....but he never helped himself" [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister/status/163039870971949056"]4 minutes ago[/url] [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister"]LanceMcAlister[/url]Lance McAlister "I believe I'd have multiple Super Bowl rings on my finger if he hadn't gotten hurt" [url="https://twitter.com/#!/LanceMcAlister/status/163040227684909056"]3 minutes ago[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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