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Bradley Cochran (born June 17, 1963) is an American former college football player who was a defensive back for the Michigan Wolverines from 1981 to 1985. As a senior, Cochran was recognized as a consensus All-American. He also received the 1985 Toyota Leadership Award. He signed to play professional football with the Los Angeles Raiders, but injured his back during the preseason of his rookie year, ending his football career.

Early years

Cochran was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1963. He attended Brother Rice High School in Birmingham, Michigan.

University of Michigan

Cochran enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1981 and played college football as an inside linebacker for head coach Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1981 to 1985. Cochran left the Michigan team early in his career after "screaming uncontrollably" at coach Schembechler for perceived injustices. He was diagnosed with severe depression caused by a hormonal imbalance that was subsequently treated with medication. He briefly transferred to the University of Colorado, but he returned to his home in Royal Oak after several weeks in Colorado. In June 1983, Michigan assistant coach Lloyd Carr contacted Cochran and invited him to return to the University of Michigan.

After returning to Schembechler's good graces, Cochran started all 12 games at strong side cornerback for the 1983 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 9-3 record, played in the 1984 Sugar Bowl, and finished the season ranked #8 in the final AP Poll. He moved to weak side cornerback as a junior, again starting all 12 games for the 1984 Michigan team.

As a senior, Cochran was a team co-captain started all 12 games as the weak side cornerback for the 1985 Michigan team that compiled a 10-1-1 record and a #2 ranking in the final Associated Press poll after beating Nebraska, 27-23, in the Fiesta Bowl. The 1985 Wolverines defense gave up only 75 points in 11 regular season games — an average of 6.8 points per game. At the end of the 1985 season, Cochran was selected as a consensus first-team defensive back on the 1985 College Football All-America Team. He was named first-team All-American by UPI and Kodak and second-team All-American by the Associated Press. Cochran also received the 1985 Toyota Leadership Award for "outstanding performance in the areas of team contributions, academics and citizenship."

Over the course of his career at Michigan, Cochran started 36 consecutive games from 1983 to 1985 and compiled 184 tackles, 17 pass breakups and 11 interceptions. 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."

Later years

Cochran was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the third round (80th overall pick) of the 1986 NFL draft. Cochran signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Raiders in July 1986, but he injured his back during the fourth pre-season game, underwent surgery to remove a disc and perform a two-level vertebrae fusion, thus ending his football career. He later became involved in a contract dispute with the Raiders over the team's claim that he failed to report for the 1987 NFL season.

Cochran later worked as an assistant football coach responsible for the defensive secondary at his alma mater, Brother Rice High School.

See also

• List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans

References

1. "Brad Cochran". nfl.com. National Football League. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
2. ^ "All-Time Football Roster Database". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
3. John Gugger (November 22, 1983). "Quickness Key Factor In Michigan's Defense". Toledo Blade. p. 23.
4. ^ "'M' Defender Leaves Troubles in Dust; Cochran: a crack back". The Michigan Daily. November 7, 1984. p. 10.
5. "1983 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
6. "1984 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
7. ^ "1985 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
8. "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
9. "Advertisement". The Michigan Daily. November 25, 1985. p. 7.
10. "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2015.(to retrieve career statistics, enter "cochran" in the box for the player's last name)
11. "University of Michigan Football All-American: Brad Cochran". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
12. "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
13. "Oakland Raiders Draft History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
14. "Transactions". The Free Lance-Star. July 24, 1986. p. 11.
15. "Raider cut Van Pelt, Squirek". Boca Raton News. September 2, 1986.
16. Mark Heisler (July 31, 1987). "Back Injury Apparently Will Prevent Cochran From Playing With Raiders". Los Angeles Times.
17. Mark Heisler (September 26, 1987). "Missing Raider Shows Up in an Unusual Place". Los Angeles Times.
18. "Fracassa has seen his share of star football players". The Oakland Press. September 29, 2011.

• 1963 births
• Living people
• American football defensive backs
• Los Angeles Raiders players
• Michigan Wolverines football players
• High school football coaches in Michigan
• All-American college football players
• Sportspeople from Royal Oak, Michigan
• Players of American football from Oakland County, Michigan