Senior Mike Cook is no stranger to adversity. After taking a medical redshirt for a torn pectoral, he is back to bolster Harvard’s deep wide receiving corps.
You never know what you have until it’s gone.
For senior wide receiver Mike Cook, these words reflect an injury-riddled junior football season.
But at last, in his penultimate season, Cook seems to be hitting his stride and making the most of the time he has left. Before he could truly excel on the field, though, the Harvard standout had to endure a number of setbacks.
Cook’s biggest challenge came last year during preseason when he tore his pectoral muscle.
“It was a really tough break when he blew out his pec,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy says. “He knew that was a six-month rehab, significant surgery. But he’s one of those kids that’s very committed.”
Although he missed the entire season due to the long recovery, Cook continued to attend practices in support of his team. Still, watching his teammates on the field only intensified his desire to get back on the gridiron.
“It was exciting to see everyone play and win, but it definitely took the wind out of my sail not being able to play,” he says.
And despite the grueling recovery, Cook never accepted his absence from the field as an excuse to let his responsibility to his teammates fall by the wayside.
Confined to a sling, Cook spent his rehab working with a physical therapist to maintain his fitness during a medical redshirt that will allow him to be eligible to play again for Harvard next year.
Since his return to the field, Cook has followed through on his commitment to his friends and teammates, providing a key addition to the Crimson’s revamped passing game, led by new QB junior Collier Winters. Cook has 10 catches for 109 yards so far this season, along with a more creative role as the passer on a double-reverse—and he has loved every minute of it.
“Being out that whole season really put into perspective...how much I love to play,” he explains. “As soon as you lose it, you really realize how much you like it.”
But recovering from a torn muscle has not been the only factor to shake up Cook’s relationship with the team. The senior originally joined Harvard as a quarterback—the position he played throughout high school. But sophomore year, he was converted into a wide receiver.
The former field general’s mind wanders back to freshman year as Cook recounts one conversation he had with Murphy.
“We had Chris Pizzotti [’08-’09] and Liam O’Hagan [’08-’09] for at least two more seasons, it seemed like, so I remember going in and talking about making a contribution as soon as possible, and I thought that I could play receiver,” Cook recalls. “I proposed the idea, and he thought that it would be a good idea, so we tried it out coming into spring practice and it seemed to fit.”
Cook’s previous experience as a play-caller helped in his transition.
