C. O. Brocato

C. O. Brocato
Black and white photo of C. O. Brocato, a Caucasian male, smiling circa 1953
Brocato, c. 1953
Personal information
Born:(1929-10-31)October 31, 1929
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:September 1, 2015(2015-09-01) (aged 85)
Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11[1] in (1.80 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:St. John's (Shreveport)
College:Baylor (1949–1952)
Position:Linebacker, placekicker
NFL draft:1953 / round: 27 / pick: 317
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
As an administrator:
  • Houston Oilers (1974–1976)
    Area scout
  • United States Scouting Combine (1977–1981)
    Assistant director
  • Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans (1981–2015)
    Scout

Cosimo O. Brocato Jr. (October 31, 1929 – September 1, 2015) was an American scout, coach and football player best known for his time with the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans,[a] for which he was a scout from 1974 to 1976, and again from 1981 until his death in 2015. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Brocato attended St. John's High School (renamed Jesuit High School in 1960) and later played college football for the Baylor Bears as a linebacker and placekicker. He was selected in the 1953 National Football League (NFL) draft by the Chicago Cardinals but left in training camp to begin a coaching career. He served as an assistant coach at Haynesville High School in Louisiana from 1954 to 1957, as the head coach of St. John's / Jesuit High School from 1958 to 1968, as the defensive coordinator for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks from 1969 to 1970, and as the defensive coordinator for the Texas–Arlington Mavericks from 1971 to 1973.

Brocato resigned from Texas–Arlington in 1974 to become a scout for the Houston Oilers of the NFL for three seasons before spending 1977 through 1981 with the United States Scouting Combine, an organization that provided scouting data to NFL teams. He returned to the Oilers in 1981 and remained with them until his death in 2015. He is considered by his colleagues to have been one of the greatest scouts in football history and helped the team draft several players who went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brocato invented the three-cone drill, one of the main events at the NFL Scouting Combine, and mentored numerous scouts during his career of over 40 years. He has been considered for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on several occasions, and was a semifinalist for the classes of 2023 and 2024.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Tennessee Titans". National Football League. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.


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