Marquis Cooper

Marquis Victor Cooper (March 11, 1982 – March 2009) was an American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington. Cooper had also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. On March 1, 2009, Cooper and three other men went missing after their boat capsized in rough seas near Clearwater, Florida. Cooper and two of the men are now presumed to be dead. Cooper was the oldest child of KPNX sportscaster Bruce Cooper and wife Donna. He has a younger sister named Donielle. He was born in Mesa, Arizona and in raised in Gilbert, Arizona, and attended Gilbert Junior High School and Highland High School, where he became an All-State player in football. Though his grandfather worked in the athletic department of Arizona State University, Cooper attended the University of Washington. He graduated with a degree in sociology and was a member of the Pac-10 All-Conference team in 2003. Cooper and wife Rebekah, who met while attending the University of Washington, have a daughter