John Corker is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 who played four seasons in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

, mainly for the Houston Oilers.

Was named Big-8 Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 despite playing in only 7 games prior to tearing ligaments in his knee. Returned in 1979 and was 2nd team All Big-8 and All-American.

He also played with the Michigan Panthers

Michigan Panthers

The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....

 and the Memphis Showboats

Memphis Showboats

The Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...

 of the United States Football League

United States Football League

The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...

. Corker graduated from South Miami High School

South Miami High School

South Miami Senior High School is a high school located at 6856 SW 53rd Street in Miami, Florida, in the United States. Its principal is Gilberto Bonce.The school is about a mile and a half west of the University of Miami...

 in 1976 (South Miami, Florida

South Miami, Florida

South Miami is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,741 at the 2000 census and as of 2007, according to the U.S...

,) where he played football

High school football

High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 and basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

.

Corker was named USFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1983 after recording 28.5 sacks in just 18 games while playing with the Michigan Panthers. Corker's efforts also led the Panthers to the USFL Championship that same season.

After the Panthers merged with the Oakland Invaders before the 1985 USFL season, Corker signed with the Memphis Showboats. One of his defensive mates was future NFL Hall of Famer, Reggie White. Corker finished his 3-year USFL career with 42 sacks in 54 games.

In 1994 Corker resurfaced with the Arena Football League's Miami Hooters playing 7 games for head coach Don Strock.