ITTA BENA, Miss. – "Long before there was a gulf coast offense, the pistol, the west coast offense, the spread and the 2-minute drill, there was Archie Cooley -- a gunslinger of a football coach at Mississippi Valley State."  How do you honor someone instrumental in building the Mississippi Valley State football program? It's simple, by placing his name on a building that houses the football team. 
 
Cooley became the 10^th head coach of the Delta Devils in 1980.  He was described as a "talkative, colorful, yet reserved young man that has set the football world on fire with his no huddle, no back, 4 or 5 receivers offense better known as the "Satellite Express" passing offense."

Cooley led the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils to their only Division I-AA playoff appearance in 1984. The 1984 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team set different passing, receiving, and scoring records that featured Jerry Rice and quarterback Willie Totten.One of his most memorable games was the Alcorn State vs. Mississippi Valley State before 63,808 at Mississippi Memorial Stadium in Jackson. With two undefeated teams, ranked No. 4 and 5 in all of 1-AA football, offense vs. defense, and the Gunslinger vs. the Godfather, the SWAC was set for one of the greatest rivalry games ever.   

To this day, Cooley is the winningest coach in the history of the Delta Devil football program. He also served as an associate professor of physical education at Mississippi Valley State.
 
Rice and Totten aren't the only players to achieve greatness under Cooley. Other notable athletes include: Carl Byrum, Vincent Brown, Fred Bohannon, James Haynes and Darryl Gaines. With nine athletes (not including Rice and Brown) signing free agent contracts with teams in the NFL and three with the Canadian League, the influence of Cooley on Mississippi Valley State football and the game of football as a whole, is undeniable.
 
Off the field, many of his former players followed in his footsteps as coaches and educators. The common factor for former athletes of Cooley is they each went on to have successful careers. From the "One Ton of Fun" offensive unit that shielded Totten to the placekicker during his final season at "The Valley," Cooley inspired his players to give it their all, on and off the field.
 
In 2007,  Cooley was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Valley State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
The naming ceremony for the Archie Cooley, Jr., Devil's Den is set for September 15, 2017 at 11 a.m.  Join Archie Cooley, Jerry Rice, and Willie Totten at 7:00 p.m. for the 2^nd Annual Trailblazer Gala at R.W. Harrison Complex.  Both events will be held on the beautiful campus of Mississippi Valley State University.  The public is invited.