Capt. Chaos Web site is a cash cow

Hey, kids, want to know how to pay for that college education (without asking mom and dad)?

Do what Tanner Cooley and friends did: Start a blog and your own Web site.

It's fast, fun and profitable. All you need is:

1. Some knowledge of Web site construction.

2. A little money for initial costs.

3. Some inside info on professional sports.

4. A brother who is an outspoken, free-spirited, All-Pro professional football player who has the ability and nerve to write what he thinks.

It helps if your brother is Chris Cooley, the Washington Redskins' tight end out of Utah State and Logan High and a certifiable personality, a.k.a. "Captain Chaos."

It was almost a year ago that Tanner Cooley and Jake Stewart, both former USU football players themselves, approached Chris with a business proposition. For years, Chris had told his little brother that he would finance his costs for medical school, but Tanner wasn't comfortable with the arrangement.

"I didn't want to do that, so we presented the idea of a Web site," recalls Tanner. "Chris liked it. He said we could sell stuff and pay for my schooling that way. Then we decided to start a blog. No one in the NFL really does it. So one night I started working on the computer and created a blog."

Sound too good to be true? Yes, now that you mention it, but already the Web site has generated $200,000 from online sales of merchandise, public appearances and ad revenue. In large part because of the Web site, there is a big demand for Cooley to make public appearances in the form of speaking engagements, signings and charity work.

Recently, he spoke at eight different high schools in one week and donated $5,000 to each school for education programs. He also promised to pick one student from each school to receive a $25,000 scholarship. To pay for the scholarships, the Cooley gang is organizing a dinner and auction that will hawk NFL memorabilia, Cooley's own artwork (he was an art major at USU) and the artwork of local high school students.

Tanner and Jake both draw a salary from the Web site, and whatever is left over from Web site profits is donated to charity. Tanner has saved enough money to pay for his first year of med school, and given the success of the Web site, he might eventually earn enough to pay for his entire education.