A former player at Western Michigan, Joe Cooper led the Broncos to the 1948 NCAA Regional playoffs. While he was a standout athlete, Cooper may be better known for his long-time commitment and devotion to the Marshall Public Schools in Michigan.
Cooper served 35 years within the Marshall Public School system, serving as teacher, coach, principal, athletic director and assistant superintendent. He created one of the strongest high school baseball programs in the state, leading his Marshall teams to a 240-120 mark, 12 conference championships and one state championship.
Cooper also spent two years as manager for the Battle Creek/Muskegon Belles in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1951-52.
During this time, Cooper became a volunteer in the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) and founded the Connie Mack program. He served as an officer in the inaugural Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association and upon retirement from education in 1983, became president of the AABC.
Cooper was the recipient of the Dutch Fehring Award of Service, ABCA Award of Merit, and the National Council of Youth Sports first Executive of the Year award in 2004. He is a member of both the Western Michigan University and Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. The Marshall playing facility is named Joe Cooper Field in his honor.
