“Mr. Cook assisted in transforming Texas A&M University from a longstanding all-male military school perception to the vibrant brand image of a well-known and thriving top-20 research institution,” EMG said in a 2013 release. “He leveraged the growing national fame of freshman football star Johnny Manziel and the buzz surrounding the quarterback’s Heisman Trophy candidacy to effectively showcase the University brand.”

Some said that it was thanks, in part, to Cook’s #JohnnyFootball campaign, Manziel became the first freshman to win the most prestigious player of the year award.

Cook arrived at Texas A&M in 2003 after being hired in the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s communications department where he eventually became director and was the official spokesperson for Texas Task Force 1. He was in that position when the state’s urban search and rescue team descended upon New Orleans to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. He also navigated the organization’s communication efforts through an organizational audit in 2006 and 2007.