Brad Cochran
Brad Cochran is a former American college football player who was a defensive back for the University of Michigan for four seasons during the 1980s. As a senior in 1985, Cochran was recognized as a consensus All-American.
Cochran was born in Royal Oak, Michigan.
He attended the University of Michigan, where he played for coach Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football from 1983 to 1985. Cochran made 64 tackles as a sophomore in 1983 and 77 tackles in 1984—a total of 184 tackles in his four years at Michigan. As a senior in 1985, Cochran was a team co-captain and helped lead the Wolverines to a 10-1-1 record and a #2 ranking in the final Associated Press poll after beating Nebraska, 27-23, in the Fiesta Bowl. At the end of the 1985 season, he was selected as a consensus first-team All-American. He was named first-team All-American by UPI and Kodak and second-team All-American by the Associated Press. Cochran was one of two defensive All-Americans on the 1985 Michigan team, the other being Mike Hammerstein. The 1985 Wolverines defense that included Cochran, Hammerstein, Mark Messner, Mike Mallory, Eric Kattus, Garland Rivers and Andy Moeller, gave up only 75 points in 11 regular season games—an average of less than seven points per game. The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library described Cochran's contributions this way: "Consistency and excellence best describe Brad Cochran's tour of duty with the Wolverines. Possessing exceptional speed and agility, he proved extremely durable, never missing a start over the final three years of his brilliant career."
After graduating from Michigan, Cochran signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Raiders in July 1986, but broke his back during the fourth pre-season game, ending his professional career.
See also
Michigan Wolverines Football All-Americans