Players

  Stephen Cooper mans the middle of the Chargers 3-4 defense. Despite missing the first four games in 2008, Cooper led the team with 136 tackles in the regular season and 23 in the postseason. He also recorded a career-high four interceptions and was a candidate for AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors as all four came in the month of December during the Chargers’ playoff run. Cooper’s four interceptions were the most by a Chargers’ linebacker since Donnie Edwards had five in 2004 and the most by any NFL linebacker in ’08.

  2008 marked the second year in a row that Cooper paced the defense. In 2007, he led the team with 179 tackles in the regular season and 38 in the playoffs, including 18 tackles in the Divisional Playoffs against Indianapolis.

  Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith had a feeling that Cooper was on the fast track to a breakout season and the Bolts inked him to a new five-year deal in 2007 before the season started. It was quite a climb for a player who originally found his way to the NFL as an undrafted rookie from the University of Maine.

  Cooper enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his sons, Koby and Kye King, and daughter, Karis. Stephen is the third-oldest of five children and he often returns to his native Wareham, Mass. to visit his family. Cooper was a quarterback in high school and led Wareham to a Super Bowl championship in 1995. In 2006, the school retired his No. 4 jersey during the Chargers’ bye week and Cooper attended the ceremony. As a collegian at the University of Maine, Cooper switched to defense as a linebacker and went on to become the Atlantic-10 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

  Stephen is the first member of the Cooper family to graduate from college. He has already decided that when the time comes to hang up his football helmet, he would like to pursue a career in teaching and coaching.

  TRANSACTION HISTORY: Signed with Chargers, May 2, 2003…re-signed April 1, 2005 and March 23, 2006...signed five-years thru 2010, Aug. 25, 2006.

  2009: Received game ball award after performance in week 1 vs Oakland. has led the team in tackles in week 1 vs Oakland, week 4 vs. Pittsburgh, week 8 vs. Oakland, week 9 vs The New York Giants. Broke up a third down pass early in week 13 contest vs the Browns. Lead to a missed field goal attempt. Week 14 vs the Cowboys, forced a fumble that resulted into a loss of five yards to force a Dallas punt.

  2008: USA Today All-Joe...suspended Wks 1-4... season-high 16 TT, including sack in Wk 6 NBC SNF win over NE…Chargers Alumni Defensive POM for November...INT career-high two passes, both in 2Q, during NFL Network Thursday Night game vs. Oakland Dec. 4…became first Chargers LB since Donnie Edwards (12/12/04 vs. Tampa Bay) to INT two passes in game…helped hold Oakland’s QBs to season-low 27.6 passer rating for game…INT third pass in two games Wk 14 at KC…2Q INT in end zone to prevent potential Chiefs score would loom large later as Chargers would overcome 21-3 deficit to come back and win game 22-21 with two TDs in final 4:55 of 4Q…INT fourth pass in three games with 4Q pick at TB Dec. 21…pick came with Bolts up 27-24…led team with 10 tackles in Jan. 3 Wild Card Playoff game vs. Indianapolis…game-high 13 TT in Jan. 11 AFC Divisional Playoffs at Pittsburgh.

 2007: Paced unit with career-high 19 TT Wk 9 vs. Indianapolis on NBC’s SNF…16 TT and FF at Oakland Dec. 30…led team with 12 TT in AFC Wild Card Playoff win over Tennessee Jan. 6…paced squad with 18 TT in Jan. 13 AFC Divisional Playoff win over Indianapolis…led team with nine tackles and shared sack in 4Q of Jan. 20 AFC Championship Game at NE.

 2006: Wk 3 at Baltimore, tackle and FF at one-yard line prevented TD...started vs. Denver Dec. 10 and led team in tackles, adding sack and two PBUs in open field…lone stop was 4Q TFL in AFC Playoffs vs. NE.

 2005: Started vs. KC Oct. 30 and racked up season-high eight TT and half-sack…made critical play that didn’t show up on stat sheets in 26-17 win at Indianapolis Dec. 18…with Bolts hanging on to narrow 19-17 lead in 4Q, pressured Peyton Manning into intentional grounding penalty at Chargers’ 23…on following play, Manning was sacked, moving Colts out of FG range and forcing punt…after punt, 83-yard TD run put game away.

 2004: Spelled injured Randall Godfrey vs. NY Jets Sept. 19 and led team with nine TT including TFL, earning Chargers Alumni POW honors.

 2003: First-career INT and 25-yard return Dec. 14 off Brett Favre...first-career sack at Pittsburgh Dec. 21.

  COLLEGE: Atlantic-10 Defensive POY in 2002… George H. “Bulger” Lowe award from Gridiron Club of Greater Boston as top defensive football player in NE …All-America as junior and senior…Atl-10 Defensive POW after 3.5 sacks and five TFLs vs. Rhode Island …Atl-10 Co-Defensive POY as junior…school’s Roger Ellis Rookie of Year in ’99…Atl-10 Rookie of Week after James Madison game…wrapped up career with 374 TTs, 57 TFL, seven INT and 25 sacks…played at Maine from 1999-02…mass communications major.

  PERSONAL: Born in Wareham, Massachusetts…linebacker and quarterback at Wareham HS…Boston Globe and Boston Herald all-scholastic…school scoring record in basketball…lettered in track