Brad Cochran
Encyclopedia
Brad Cochran is a former All-American
defensive back
who played for the University of Michigan
Wolverines
from 1983-1985. A native of Royal Oak, Michigan
, Cochran made 64 tackles as a sophomore in 1983 and 77 tackles in 1984 -- a total of 184 tackles in his four years at Michigan. As a senior in 1985, Cochran was a team co-captain and helped lead the Wolverines to a 10-1-1 record and a #2 ranking in the final Associated Press
poll after beating Nebraska
, 27-23, in the Fiesta Bowl
. At the end of the 1985 season, he was selected as a consensus first-team All-American. He was named first-team All-American by UPI and Kodak and second-team All-American by the Associated Press
. Cochran was one of two defensive All-Americans on the 1985 Michigan team, the other being Mike Hammerstein
. The 1985 Wolverines defense that included Cochran, Hammerstein, Mark Messner
, Mike Mallory
, Eric Kattus
, Garland Rivers
and Andy Moeller, gave up only 75 points in 11 regular season games -- an average of less than seven points per game. The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library described Cochran's contributions this way: "Consistency and excellence best describe Brad Cochran's tour of duty with the Wolverines. Possessing exceptional speed and agility, he proved extremely durable, never missing a start over the final three years of his brilliant career." After graduating from Michigan, Cochran signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Raiders in July 1986, but broke his back during the fourth pre-season game.
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
who played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
from 1983-1985. A native of Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
, Cochran made 64 tackles as a sophomore in 1983 and 77 tackles in 1984 -- a total of 184 tackles in his four years at Michigan. As a senior in 1985, Cochran was a team co-captain and helped lead the Wolverines to a 10-1-1 record and a #2 ranking in the final Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll after beating Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
, 27-23, in the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
. At the end of the 1985 season, he was selected as a consensus first-team All-American. He was named first-team All-American by UPI and Kodak and second-team All-American by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. Cochran was one of two defensive All-Americans on the 1985 Michigan team, the other being Mike Hammerstein
Mike Hammerstein
Mike Hammerstein is a retired professional American football player who played defensive end in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals...
. The 1985 Wolverines defense that included Cochran, Hammerstein, Mark Messner
Mark Messner
Mark W. Messner is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker.Messner played college football at Michigan from 1985 to 1988. The lineman from Hartland, Michigan was the Wolverines' sack leader in 1985-1987. The 1985 defense has been described as the best defense in the history...
, Mike Mallory
Mike Mallory
Mike Mallory is a former American football linebacker who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1982 to 1985. He was the Most Valuable Player for the 1984 Wolverines team and was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 1985...
, Eric Kattus
Eric Kattus
Eric Kattus is a former professional American football tight end who played primarily for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . He also played briefly with the New York Jets of the NFL. He had played in college for the Michigan Wolverines football team where he served as...
, Garland Rivers
Garland Rivers
Garland A. Rivers is a former professional American football defensive back who was drafted in the 1987 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions of the National Football League...
and Andy Moeller, gave up only 75 points in 11 regular season games -- an average of less than seven points per game. The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library described Cochran's contributions this way: "Consistency and excellence best describe Brad Cochran's tour of duty with the Wolverines. Possessing exceptional speed and agility, he proved extremely durable, never missing a start over the final three years of his brilliant career." After graduating from Michigan, Cochran signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Raiders in July 1986, but broke his back during the fourth pre-season game.