Dexter Coakley William Dexter Coakley ( born October 20 , 1972 ) is a former American football linebacker who played ten seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was a third round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft , out of Division I - AA school Appalachian State . Coakley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 making him Appalachian State ' s first inductee . Early years . Coakley graduated from Wando High School , where he earned four letters in football . He was the team ' s Most Valuable Player twice and was twice named all - conference as a safety and was a very productive running back rushing for over 2 , 000 yards his junior and senior years . He posted 295 tackles in his final two yearsand also lettered in wrestling . College career . In order to meet academic requirements for College , Coakley attended Fork Union Military Academy post - graduate program for one year , before accepting a scholarship to Appalachian State University . While at Appalachian State University he grew bigger and was switched to linebacker , becoming the first two time winner of the Buck Buchanan Award s , given each year to the nation ' s top Division I - AA defensive player . He was a critical part of the defense on the 1995 Mountaineer team that finished the season unbeaten and untied . Coakley was named All - America n and Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore , junior and senior , becoming the first player ever to accomplish this feat . He was also the Southern Conference ' s Athlete of the Year as a junior and senior , marking just the seventh time in conference history that one individual had earned that distinction in consecutive years . His numerous accolades include being second all - time in tackles in Southern Conference history and breaking the all - time solo tackles ( 616 ) and sacks records at Appalachian State University , where his jersey number is retired . He earned a degree in communications and advertising . In 2011 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Southern Conference Hall of Fame . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . Coakley dropped in the 1997 NFL Draft , because he was considered an undersized linebacker from a small college . He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round . Coakley became the Cowboys starter at weakside linebacker as a rookie and never relinquished the position . His speed and athleticism allowed him to become a playmaker in Cowboys defenses that were built around speed and pursuit . At the end of the season he was named to the NFL All - Rookie team . In 1999 , Coakley made 131 tackles and intercepted four passes , becoming the first Cowboys linebacker to go to the Pro Bowl since Ken Norton Jr . in 1993 . Coakley also received the NFL ' s " All Iron MVP " award during the 1999 Thanksgiving Day game . His string of seven consecutive 100 - tackle seasons is a franchise record . In addition , he has reached double figures in tackles 37 times in 95 career regular season games . He earned Pro Bowl honors in 1999 , 2001 and 2003 . In the 90 ' s , the Cowboys organization felt they could find linebacker s through the draft , without the need of paying a premium and adversely impacting the salary cap , so they allowed talented and productive players like Ken Norton Jr . , Darrin Smith , Dixon Edwards , Robert Jones and Randall Godfrey , to leave via free agency , instead of signing them in to long - term contracts . This philosophy ended when the Cowboys re - signed Coakley to a six - year contract extension in 2001 . While Coakley started all 16 games in 2004 , he shared significant time with second year linebacker Bradie James , finishing the year with a career - low 91 tackles ( 60 solo ) , ending a streak of seven consecutive 100 - tackle seasons . He also had 6 quarterback pressures and 5 passes defensed . At the end of the 2004 season he was released because of salary cap considerations and a switch to a 3 – 4 defense , which is designed for bigger and taller linebacker s . During his eight seasons with the Cowboys , he was a very durable player starting 127 out of 128 games , his only missed game was midway through the 2001 season because of a sprained knee . Coakley is tied with Dennis Thurman for the club record for defensive touchdown s with four , coming on fumble ( one ) and interception ( three ) returns . He is the fourth leading tackler in franchise history with 1 , 046 . Saint Louis Rams . Just one day after being released by the Cowboys , he was signed to a five - year contract , by the St . Louis Rams for nearly double the salary he was getting in Dallas , with a signing bonus of 14 million . Coakley was a starter in 2005 , registering 42 tackles , two sacks , and one interception in 12 games for the Rams , before suffering a season - ending fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle . In 2006 , he finished with 37 tackles and two interception s as a backup , starting five games in place of the injured starter Pisa Tinoisamoa . He was released in 2007 .