Remembering ‘The Gunslinger’: Former MVSU players honor the legacy of Archie Cooley Jr.

Friends and family of Archie Cooley Jr. gathered at Genesis United Methodist Church on Friday to mourn Cooley’s death and celebrate the life of the football coach known as “The Gunslinger.”

Cooley, 85, coached for over 40 years — mostly in HBCU programs — and spearheaded the Mississippi Valley State “Satellite Express” offense that saw NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice rise to superstardom.

Cooley died on April 18.

Willie “The Satellite” Totten played quarterback under Cooley at MVSU with Rice as his primary target. He said without the guidance of Cooley, he and Rice would not have seen success on the field.

Rice attended the visitation for Cooley on Thursday.

Totten said the greatest lesson Cooley taught him was the ability to persevere in life. The star quarterback almost quit the team with Cooley requiring four practices in a day and intense conditioning.

“He said, ‘If you quit now, you’ll quit for the rest of your life,’” Totten said. “ ... I don’t know where I would be if I quit.”

Totten, who called Cooley innovative, creative and determined, is a quarterback coach at Southern University. He is “following in coach Cooley’s footsteps” and will continue the legacy of Cooley with his own career.

“You’ll always be my hero,” Totten said of Cooley. “Your legacy will be led by The Satellite.”

Vincent Brown, an All-American linebacker at MVSU for Cooley, was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1988 and made three Pro Bowl appearances. He is the head coach of North Carolina A&T.

Brown called Cooley a “miracle worker” for his success at MVSU and said there was “nothing that would hold him back.” He said Cooley cared about player development on and off the field, teaching the values of hard work and sacrifice.

“Coach Cooley was the essence of coaching,” Brown said. “Which is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their growth.”

Darryll Gaines, a MSVU Hall of Famer, played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and is an executive at NASA. He said Cooley taught a “first to arrive, last to leave” mentality.

“He gave us a leader’s spirit,” Gaines said. “Tenacity, drive, commitment, strength, resolve, patience, character, and most of all, integrity.”

The son of Archie Cooley Jr., Dwight Cooley, who founded Belzoni’s Catfish Cafe, a Mississippi-style fish restaurant in west Fort Worth. He urged the crowd to carry on his father’s legacy.

Cooley will be buried on on Tuesday, April 30, at 11 a.m. at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway.