Cooper began his coaching career in 1962 as the freshmen team coach at Iowa State. He then was an assistant coach at Oregon State from 1963 to 1964 under Tommy Prothro and helped Oregon State finish first place in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) in 1964.[1] Oregon State also made the Rose Bowl and finished #8 in the final AP Poll.[6] Cooper then followed Prothro to UCLA to be an assistant there from 1965 to 1966. In the 1965 season, UCLA finished first in the AAWU and #4 in the final AP Poll and won the Rose Bowl.[1][7] The 1966 UCLA team finished #5 in the AP Poll.[8]
In 1967, Cooper became defensive coordinator at Kansas under Pepper Rodgers. Cooper again was part of a conference championship team in 1968 when Kansas finished first in the Big 8.[1] The 1968 Kansas team finished #9 in the final AP Poll and made the Orange Bowl.[9] Cooper remained at Kansas until 1971. From 1972 to 1976, Cooper had his final assistant position at Kentucky, first under John Ray in 1972 then Fran Curci from 1973 to 1976.[1] In Cooper's final season at Kentucky in 1976, Kentucky finished #18 in the AP Poll and won the Peach Bowl.[10]
In 1977, he was named the head football coach at the University of Tulsa. At Tulsa, he compiled a 56–32 record with five Missouri Valley Conference titles.[1] Cooper considers his tenure at Tulsa his "most enjoyable years as a coach".[11] He became the head coach at Arizona State in 1985 where his teams played in three consecutive bowl games, including the 1987 Rose Bowl, during his three-year tenure. His record was 0–2–1 against arch-rival Arizona. He accepted the job as head coach at Ohio State on December 31, 1987.
However, Cooper has also been remembered for his 3–8 bowl record and his 2–10–1 record against archrival Michigan. His most disappointing losses to the Wolverines came in 1993, 1995, and 1996. In each season of those seasons, Ohio State entered the Michigan game undefeated and ranked in the top five, but was upset by the Wolverines on each occasion; two of those losses cost the Buckeyes a Rose Bowl bid. In 1993 Ohio State was ranked #5 and undefeated, needing only to beat Michigan to get its first trip to Pasadena in nine years. However, the Buckeyes were shut out by the unranked Wolverines 28–0 in Ann Arbor. In 1995 Ohio State lost a #2 ranking, the Big Ten title, and another shot at the Rose Bowl by losing to the #18 ranked Wolverines, 31–23, in Ann Arbor. In 1996, the Buckeyes were again ranked #2 and had already secured a Rose Bowl berth when they faced #21 ranked Michigan, this time in Columbus. The Buckeyes smelled victory after shutting out the Wolverines in the first half, but Michigan rallied in the second half to upset the Buckeyes yet again, 13–9, costing them a chance at the national championship. Ohio State would go on to win the 1997 Rose Bowl against Arizona State and finish the season ranked #2. With this victory, Cooper became the first coach to win the Rose Bowl with a Pac-10 and a Big Ten team.
In 1997, top-ranked Michigan entered the game undefeated and #4 Ohio State had the opportunity to spoil Michigan's perfect season; however, the Wolverines again defeated the Buckeyes, 20–14. To add insult to injury, Michigan's win was highlighted by the performance of Ohio native and 1997 Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, who made game changing plays on offense, defense, and special teams.
In 1998, Ohio State was 8–0 and ranked #1 in the country but was upset by Michigan State, 28–24. The team did go on to beat Michigan that season and won the Sugar Bowl over Texas A&M, 24–14, eventually finishing #2 in the polls.
Cooper's Buckeyes were expected to have a strong season in 1999, but slumped to 6–6, their first non-winning record since Cooper's first year and only their third since 1947.[12] They rebounded to 8–4 a year later, but a 38–26 loss to Michigan cost Cooper his job at the end of the season. He was the first non-interim Buckeye head coach since Wes Fesler, Hayes' predecessor, to have left Ohio State without winning an outright Big Ten title.
Later life and honors
Cooper currently works for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL as a scouting consultant and also works as a college football analyst for ESPN.
On May 1, 2008, Cooper was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.[13] He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on December 30, 2012, representing both Arizona State and Ohio State football teams. On September 8, 2014, Cooper was inducted into the Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame in an on-field ceremony during the Iowa State-Kansas State football game.
