Iowa’s Darian Cooper sets example in perseverance

IOWA CITY — Darian Cooper has every reason to feel sorry for himself, but the Iowa defensive tackle instead feels grateful.

His college football career started with such promise and then was filled with heartbreak. Yet, the senior from Elkridge, Md., persevered and fought until he achieved a crowning moment last Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

After missing nearly two years with microfracture surgery on both knees, Cooper returned to the playing field on Senior Day. He entered the game at right defensive tackle on Iowa's final defensive play in the Hawkeyes' victory against Purdue. For one play, it showed that a man's triumph in the face of injuries, surgeries and long-term rehabilitation was worth celebrating.

'I love Coop. He's a brother to me,' Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri said. 'We've gone through so much together. As soon as I saw him running out there, I ran from the offensive side down to the line of scrimmage screaming his name and cheering for him and stuff. That's an emotional thing.'

'We did that because he's earned that, and it was all about us paying him back a little bit,' Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'He's run the whole race. He's gone through a lot of tough stuff, and I talk about that all the time when you talk about guys that go through injuries. People don't understand just how lonely it is and how hard it is to fight back from that, so that was like the least that we could do for him. He wanted to try to do it, so I was so happy.'

Cooper came to Iowa in 2011 and red-shirted. In 2012, he played in all 12 games and started two. He recorded 34 tackles with 3.5 for loss. He broke up a pair of passes and recovered a fumble. As a sophomore in 2013, Cooper played in all 13 games. He earned a key sack at Iowa State and was in a heavy rotation.

Cooper played through significant knee pain that year and recorded a tackle in the 2014 Outback Bowl. He worked in subsequent spring drills but never felt right. He had surgery in August 2014 and was out for the season. For three months he couldn't bear any weight on his legs, so he rode a scooter around campus.

'The injury was different. It was something I never experienced before,' Cooper said. 'I've played hurt, I've done plenty of things, but for me to really be sidelined and miss that much time from the game was the first time I ever went without it. It was difficult, but I kept fighting.'

Most people would retire from football with Cooper's issues. Quitting, however, was not an option. Players like fullback Adam Cox picked up Cooper and took him to morning rehab treatments. Cooper attended all practices and meetings and saw his role expand.

'I was like what God has for you is for you. I knew that was a trial,' Cooper said. 'It also shifted my role. It went from being a player to someone who people could come back to the sidelines, and I could be more like a coach so I could enjoy it.'

He refused to give up the fight.

'I always had faith. I always knew I was going to make it back,' he said. 'It was just a matter of time. I was just going to keep pushing. I was always very diligent in that, very aggressive, maybe sometimes more than I should have been. I just told myself this is the goal I wanted, to get back. I knew I was going to miss a year, but the goal was to get back.'

Cooper worked out with the team this year but wasn't cleared for contact until three weeks ago. He was so far from competition and football shape it would be imprudent to consider him even as a gameday contributor. But that mattered little to him as he fought to return.

Saturday, Cooper dressed out and participated in senior day ceremonies. He cheered and motivated his teammates. He hoped to see action but wasn't pressuring anyone to play.

'I was happy that we were winning,' he said. 'It was a dogfight. Then (defensive line coach Reese) Morgan came to me. 'If I threw you out there, would you be ready?' I got on my bike immediately and warmed up, and he tossed me out there.'

The ending wasn't pure Hollywood. Cooper didn't record a tackle on his only play. It was largely ceremonial. But it inspired his coaches and teammates just the same.

'Just to see what Coop's been through these last few years, it's been tough,' Iowa defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson said. 'But to see him out there performing the way he did, there's nothing like it.'

'He's one of the most strong-minded, hardest workers that I know,' Canzeri said. 'To see him go through so much and fight through it — he could have quit — but he stuck with it because he wants it more than anything.'

Through the injuries, Cooper has gained self-awareness.

'So much of your identity when you played football when you get to this level is, 'I'm a football player,'' Cooper said. 'But when you're sitting down and hurting and you're thinking, 'Man.' You know the light is fleeting when you're playing on Saturdays and everything people are all into to you. When you're hurting and you're down, it kind of fades because the game progresses. That's one thing I enjoy about the game is it really doesn't have too much remembrance. It's all about the current and the new.'

Cooper's NFL goals are curtailed, but he'll get a degree in May. He's got an engaging, vibrant personality and wants to get into sales or entertainment after college. It's unlikely he'll make a game appearance the rest of the season, but his impact extends well beyond the gridiron.

'He's a great young guy who's going to graduate,' Ferentz said. 'He's got a tremendous personality, and if he puts it to use in the right way, he could go really far.'

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