STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook football alumnus Chris Cooper shined in his debut with the St. Louis BattleHawks, out of the XFL, on Sunday.
 
Cooper totaled a team-high seven tackles, all of which were solo tackles, against the San Antonio Brahmas in the first week of the 2023 XFL season. The BattleHawks came out victorious, 18-15.
 
The defensive back most recently was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft by the BattleHawks in January. That came on the heels of a stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.
 
Cooper earned a spot on the Buccaneers' 53-man roster in 2021 and made his mark with the then-reigning Super Bowl champions in the preseason. He played in all three preseason games and made a total of eight tackles (five solo, three assists).  
 
Cooper bounced around the NFL for several seasons, spending time with the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 
He has now joined the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL.
 
The Mount Vernon, New York, native was a member of the Stony Brook football program from 2015-17. He played in 33 games and recorded 147 career tackles (77 solo, 70 assists), 12.0 tackles for loss, four interceptions, one fumble recovery, and 1.0 sack. As a senior in 2017, he was named to the All-CAA Second Team and ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 88 (50 solo, 38 assists).