Hall of Fame
Richard “Dick” Cootware was one of the key factors in the first two NCAA Division III football tournament appearances for the St. Lawrence program and helped the team to 31 wins in his four seasons on the team.
An Air Force veteran prior to starting his collegiate career, Cootware stepped right in as a freshman and helped the Saints to a 7-2 season. He went on to start every game in his four year career and was consistently among the leaders in total tackles, assists and sacks. He had 127 total tackles, four sacks and three fumble recoveries in the 1977 season and was again among the tackle leaders in 1978 with 143 total stops.
He earned All-ICAC honors in each his sophomore, junior and senior seasons and was the Saints Most Valuable Lineman award winner. He was a 2009 inductee as a member of the 1976 football team, the first to win a NCAA playoff game.
Following graduation, he went on to a career as a high school mathematics teacher and football coach, retiring after a 36-year career. He and his wife Kathy are the parents of a son, Joe and grandparents of two.
