[2] An Australia international representative three-quarter back and adept goal-kicker, he played club football in the Newcastle Rugby League for Western Suburbs during the 1960s and also later worked as a television commentator and presenter.
Cootes hailed from Newcastle and was trained during childhood by Clive Churchill and later played for the Lazio rugby union club in 1966 while on scholarship to study theology at Rome's Propaganda College.
[4] Father John Cootes became the first Roman Catholic priest to play international rugby league when he was selected for Australia's tour of New Zealand in 1969.
[7] Cootes' last Test match was the final of the 1970 World Cup which was against Great Britain at the Headingley ground in Leeds, England.
[9] After football, Cootes also enjoyed a long and successful media career, becoming a sports commentator for Channel 10.