Joe Cooper Becomes Slippery Rock's Third East-West Shrine Bowl Participant

Slippery Rock lineman Joe Cooper joins one of college football's all-time great pass rushers and a Heisman candidate when he becomes the third player from The Rock to play in the storied East-West Shrine Bowl. Cooper hopes to parlay an impressive all-star game performance into a lengthy pro career like recent Rock all-star game standouts Wes Hills, who won the 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl MVP and Roland Rivers III.

Cooper was one of the best linemen in the country across the past two seasons, earning four First Team All-American nods this year and two in 2024. He also finished fourth in the Gene Upshaw Linemen of the Year Award Voting.

He joins Marcus Martin and Chuck Sanders as East-West Shrine Bowl participants from Slippery Rock. Chuck Sanders had a stellar 1984 season leading to a Heisman campaign that caught the attention of the likes of the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. After rushing for 1280 yards in just ten games for the Rock, Slippery Rock Sports Information Director John Carpenter sent voters 500 postcards of Sanders and Sanders appeared on Good Morning America in December 1984. In July 1985, Carpenter offered Heisman voters their choice of a life-size cutout of Sanders, an 11x14 glossy photo, a highlight film, a new pronunciation guide that rhymed Sanders' name with Heisman, or a holographic keychain that showed Sanders rushing for a touchdown.

Unfortunately, injuries slowed Sanders in his 1985 senior season. Still, Sanders ran for a respectable 872 yards and six touchdowns. Nonetheless, he still earned an appearance in the 1986 East-West Shrine Game. Sanders made the most of his appearance, running for 71 yards on 19 carries and catching a pass for four yards. Afterwards, he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for two years.

The Rock did not send another player to the Shrine Bowl for over three decades until defensive end Marcus Martin played in the 2018 game. Martin is arguably the greatest pass rusher in college football history. Martin holds the record for career sacks across all divisions with 56 and the Division II tackle for loss record with 92.5. He won PSAC Defensive Player of the Year three times in a row from 2015 to 2017 and won National Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. Despite never appearing in an NFL game, Martin remains one of college football's all-time greats.

Joe Cooper not only hopes to prove he can play with some of the biggest stars in college football, but also build Slippery Rock’s notoriety in this rare appearance in college football’s oldest all-star game. No matter what, Cooper finds himself in distinct company by simply participating in this game.