Samuel Stephen Cooke Sr. (August 7, 1879 – May 28, 1944)[1] was an American college football coach.

[4][5] In the 1898 game against Western Maryland, Cooke performed the dubious feat of kicking a punt from midfield over his head and backwards 25 yards.

[6] The following season, the team elected Cooke as captain, but he suffered a broken arm in the first game against Western Maryland.

By Thanksgiving, he returned to the sport, playing for the Hyattsville town team.

[7] Cooke left the college before graduating and went to work for the Potomac Electric Power Company in Washington, D.C.[3] He married Mary née Ward on March 28, 1910.