Cooper Helfet Senior Profile

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke football team enters its bye week on a three-game win streak. The Blue Devils return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 15 when they host Florida State in Wallace Wade Stadium at 3 p.m. GoDuke.com recently caught up with tight end Cooper Helfet to learn more about the senior from Kentfield, Calif.

GoDuke.com: What is the most embarrassing music you have on your iPod?

Cooper Helfet: Hall and Oats. I've got some songs by them (laughs).

GoDuke.com: Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals?

CH: Everybody else likes to listen to some pretty hardcore rap or rock but I kind of like to listen to happy Reggae music because I like to be relaxed and happy when I go out there. So yeah, that's a little different than everybody else.

GoDuke.com: What's on your bucket list?

CH: I've already skydived. Base jumping I guess? I want to base jump. Some extreme things I guess. I definitely want to travel too.

GoDuke.com: What's the biggest obstacle you have ever had to overcome?

CH: Junior year of high school I broke my back, so I missed all of my junior season. It killed recruiting, but to keep fighting and take the junior college path and keep playing really hard to still make it Div. 1 is probably the biggest obstacle I've overcome.

GoDuke.com: What's your favorite home-cooked meal?

CH: My mom makes ginger salmon. It's really, really good. That's probably number one on the list.

GoDuke.com: What has been your favorite class at Duke?

CH: My favorite class was Dana Marks' Intro to Acting. She's just awesome so we had a lot of fun in there.

GoDuke.com: How about your toughest class?

CH: The hardest one I've taken would probably be Nationalism and Exile. It's a history course. He killed us (laughs).

GoDuke.com: Who's had the biggest impact on your life and why?

CH: Probably my Dad. He went through a lot in his life, but he never gave up. He was born and raised in South Africa and came over here. To get his green card he had to join the Marines. So he went and served for the Marines in Vietnam for four years and then came back and got himself into Columbia's business school and kept trucking through all of that and just had the crystal hardship to never give up. I followed in his path and never gave up on my dream to come and play Div. 1 football.

GoDuke.com: Who would be your dream date?

CH: Scarlett Johansson.

GoDuke.com: Who would play you in a movie about your life?

CH: Russell Crowe maybe? Yeah I'd say Russell Crowe.

GoDuke.com: Who would you trade places with for one day?

CH: Cristiano Ronaldo.

GoDuke.com: I wish I knew how to ______.

CH: I wish I knew how to kite surf.