Inductees

Born in Smith Mills, Kentucky, Cooper was the eldest of six children. He graduated from Hopkinsville (KY) High School, then earned a B.A in Physics, as well as a PhD in Education, from the University of Missouri and lettered in basketball and track between 1932 and 1934. An all-conference choice in 1932 when he led the Tigers in scoring, Cooper is the man nationally recognized for popularizing the jump shot. His nickname was “Jump Shot Cooper.” At the time, it was customary for basketball players to keep their feet planted on the floor. He also won a conference championship in the quarter mile on the track.

In 1940, Cooper interrupted his career to serve in the US Army Air Forces. After 40 months of service, and achieving the rank of captain, he received an honorable discharge.

After coaching in the high school ranks, Cooper returned to Mizzou as an assistant basketball coach from 1940-42, before beginning a long teaching career at the college level at the University of Southern California and Indiana University.

Cooper was one of the nation’s leaders in the field of kinesiology and served as president of the 35,000-member American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER). In 1945, he moved to California, where he taught at the University of Southern California and co-authored several books. in 1966, he relocated to Indiana, where he accepted a position at Indiana University. He retired from there in 1982.

He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the University of Missouri Hall of Fame in 1992.