to finish the season. I'd gotten off to a good start. I didn't want to relinquish that." The rotator cuff began deteriorating after the season; during surgery, it was revealed that Cook also had a partially detached biceps muscle. After three operations proved futile, he retired. A 1973 comeback attempt failed and Cook retired permanently. The NFL Network NFL Top Ten series named Cook the #1 One Shot Wonder in NFL history. New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who suffered two tears to his rotator cuff and has undergone as many surgeries to repair it, is often compared to Cook because their injuries are so similar; his injury was also similar to that suffered by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who had surgery on his rotator cuff after the 2005-06 season and finished the following season as an All-Pro quarterback. Brees went on to lead the Saints to victory over Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV. Cook finished his career with 1,865 passing yards with an average of 17.4 yards per completion. He threw 15 touchdowns in his career and 11 interceptions. Life after football Following retirement, Cook lived in Cincinnati, and worked with United Parcel Service and with Worksite Information Network as a motivational speaker for labor unions. He was an art major at the University of Cincinnati, and continued to paint. Cook had works on display in the Ohio Governor's Mansion. Cook did some color commentary of University of Cincinnati football broadcasts in the mid-1980s. Death Cook died on January 27, 2012, shortly after being admitted to The Christ Hospital, a Cincinnati-area hospital, with pneumonia. See also List of American Football League players List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders References External links 1946 births 2012 deaths American football quarterbacks Cincinnati Bearcats football players Cincinnati Bengals players American Football League Rookies of the Year Sportspeople from Chillicothe, Ohio Players of American football from Dayton, Ohio Deaths from pneumonia in Ohio American Football League players