After beginning his sportswriting career at the Houston Post, Cook worked at the San Antonio Express-News from August 14, 1952 until he retired on August 3, 2003. In early 1956, he first made national headlines when, acting on a tip, he confronted a suspect in a Houston robbery and in the process wound up himself arrested and charged with armed robbery. (He would later be exonerated when the suspect confessed to the original crime.) Cook wrote his first Sports column for the San Antonio Express-News on November 29, 1956. In addition to his newspaper and television duties, he wrote six columns per week, and had two Sports telecasts and two radio commentaries daily. He also served as the Express-News' executive Sports Editor from 1960 to 1975.