His first trip to Colorado came when the Broncos drafted him 31st overall in 1983. Prior to that, Mark Cooper had spent nearly his entire life in Florida, growing up playing football and excelling on the offensive line at the University of Miami. When Coop got to Denver, he was reunited with a guy he met briefly a few months earlier when both played in the East-West Shrine Bowl: John Elway.
Mark’s four years with the Broncos weren’t as successful as he would have liked, he often found himself in the training room with an injury and then fighting to get his job back. He did start many games, however, including Super Bowl 21.
In 1987, Mark was ready to move on. After a little game of “let’s try to trade you rather than release you,” the Broncos set the price tag too high for a trade and nobody took the bait. Mark was released and signed with Tampa Bay where he played the next few seasons before retiring.
After he retired, Mark returned to Denver. He had fallen in love with the Mile High City and got into some business ventures. He also got his real estate license, which worked out very well for him: more than 30 years later, he’s still helping clients buy and sell in both Colorado and Florida.
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