O.H. Cooper High School (commonly referred to as Abilene Cooper) is a public high school located in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

. It opened in 1960, in part to handle the increase in school age youth resulting from the Post World War II Baby Boom. It is one of three 4-year high schools within

Abilene Independent School District Abilene Independent School District is a public school district based in Abilene, Texas ( USA). The district serves the cities of Abilene and Impact in northeastern Taylor County as well as the portion of Abilene that lies in southeastern Jo ...

. Cooper High is named for Oscar Henry Cooper, who was

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

from 1898 to 1902. Prior to such time, his advocacy for a state-supported and state-controlled university led to the establishment of the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. After his time at Baylor, Dr. Cooper was president of

Hardin–Simmons University Hardin–Simmons University (HSU) is a private Baptist university in Abilene, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). History Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist ...

in Abilene until 1909. Thereafter, he headed "Cooper's Boys' School" in Abilene until 1915.

Faculty and academics

Abilene is the home of

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

and Cooper students have benefited from retired

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, and spouses of officers, from Dyess becoming teachers at Cooper. Retired

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

James Alderman, a

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

teacher at the school, explained to his students that he worked on the development of the

Gamma Ray Spectrometer A gamma-ray spectrometer (GRS) is an instrument for measuring the distribution (or spectrum—see figure) of the intensity of gamma radiation versus the energy of each photon. The study and analysis of gamma-ray spectra for scientific and techni ...

and did research relating to

nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles ( neutrons or protons). The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifest ...

while in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

James Zumwalt taught Honors Calculus and, in 1981–1982, was

zoo keeper A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen Gr ...

over his homeroom class that called itself the "Zoo." Members of the Zoo included many of the top graduating students in 1982 and yet still managed to win the

intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...

sports championship. In the years 1979 to 1982, Cooper consistently fielded teams for UIL competitions that finished in the top of their subject areas, including

Speech Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses Phonetics, phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if ...

Creative Writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

Math Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

, and

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

. Cooper graduates frequently were named as

Scholars A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher ...

, Finalists, Semi-finalists, and Commended by the

National Merit Scholarship Program The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizat ...

. Six members of the Class of 1982 received the Scholar designation.

Athletics

Volleyball

The Cooper High School

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Team won the state 4A championship in 1967, defeating San Antonio Harlandale 15-0; 11-15; 15-7.

Golf

The Cooper High School Golf Team won the 5A State Championship in 1982, 1983, and 1984.

Bob Estes Bob Alan Estes (born February 2, 1966) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was previously a member of the PGA Tour, where he was a four-time champion. Early life and amateur career Estes was born in Graham ...

, Class of 1984, won the individual state title in 1983. As a collegiate golfer at the

, Bob was selected as an All-American, received the

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

award, and was named 1988 College Player of the Year.

Mike Standly Michael Dean Standly (born May 19, 1964) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. Standly was born in Abilene, Texas. He attended the University of Houston and was a member of the golf team; he ...

, Class of 1982, played for the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

, finished in second place to

Scott Verplank Scott Rachal Verplank (born July 9, 1964) is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. Early years and amateur career Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Verplank was a leading member of the W.T. W ...

at the 1986

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

championship, won his first tournament in 1993, the

Freeport-McMoRan Classic The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly pla ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, and can still be found on

professional golf tours Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women; most are based in a specific geographical region, although some to ...

Tennis

The Cooper High School Tennis Team has made appearances at the Texas state competitio
8 times in its history
ranking 5th in the state for all-time appearances in conference 5A. It competed in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992 and won the championship for three consecutive years in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Ricky Meyers won the state

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

title in 1976 and Ryan Hughes did the same in 1995. David Meyers and Scott Meyers (identical twins) won boys doubles state in 1982

Jana Hanks won the state singles title in 1975 and 1976, Susie Ingram and Julie Jones won the state doubles title in 1976, and Leanne Hill and Stephanie Burnam won the state doubles title in 1982

As of November, 2009, The Cooper Tennis Team is ranke
8th in the state
in conference 4A.

Tennis State Championships

*Boys Singles **1976 – Ricky Meyers (4A) **1995 – Ryan Hughes (5A) *Boys Doubles **1982 – Scott & David Meyers (5A) *Girls Singles **1975 – Jana Hanks (4A) **1976 – Jana Hanks (4A) *Girls Doubles **1976 – Susie Ingram & Julie Jones (4A) **1982 – Leanna Hill & Stephanie Burnam (5A) *Team Championships **1986 – lost to Winston Churchill High School (San Antonio, Texas), San Antonio Churchill High School 3-10 **1987 – lost to Tyler Lee High School 6-9 **1993 – def.

Klein High School Klein High School is a public high school located in Klein, Texas, United States, located approximately from Downtown Houston. It serves grades 9– 12 in the Klein Independent School District. The current principal of Klein High School is Bran ...

9-2 **1994 – def. Houston Clear Lake High School 15-3 **1995 – def. Plano High School 9-3

Baseball

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team consistently finished near the top in District. Baseball teams from Cooper have played in four state championship games, 1967, 1987, 1988, and 1993, winning the 5A state championship twice with consecutive wins in 1987 and 1988. Consecutive championships have only been accomplished by 3 other schools in the history of Texas high school baseball (one being crosstown rival Abilene High School).

Baseball State Championship Appearances

* 1967 – Lost to Corpus Christi King 0-1 * 1987 – Defeated San Antonio MacArthur 13-3 * 1988 – Defeated Round Rock Westwood 7-4 * 1993 – Lost to Arlington Martin 0-8 Cooper players recognized in UIL records include Chris Feris and Robert McAdams in 1987 for Most Extra

base hits In baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H), also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches or passes first base after hitting the ball into fair territory with neither the benefit of an error nor a fielder's ch ...

( doubles) in

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

play, Chris Feris in 1987 for Most Hits in a Game (3), Philip Carpenter in 1988 for Most Hits in a Game (3) and Robert McAdams in 1987 for a .600

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in a two-game series with at least 5

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

Gymnastics

Cooper, and Abilene Independent School District, AISD as a whole, has enjoyed notable success in Gymnastics state meets, with multiple State Titles for both individual and team performances.

Gymnastics Championships

*Men ** 1973 – Donovan Sparhawk(

Parallel Bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...

) ** 1975 – Steve Rutledge (

Rings Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

) ** 1976 – Steve Rutledge (Rings) ** 1978 – Larry Hanson (

Floor A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load ...

) ** 1979 – Team Champions: David Hardy (Floor), David Watson, (

), J.T. Fletcher ( Pommels,

Vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

High Bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...

, All-Around) ** 1983 – Bobby Cluck (Pommels), David Henson (High Bar) ** 1984 – David Henson (High Bar) ** 1988 – Greg Joyner (Vault, High Bar) ** 1989 – Chris Reese (Rings), Greg Joyner (Vault) ** 1990 – Andrew Clamann (Pommels) ** 1991 – Team Champions: Andrew Clamann (Pommels), Jimmy Chai Kong (Rings), Greg Clark (Parallel Bars) ** 1992 – Team Champions: Landon King (Rings), Eddie Marentes (Parallel Bars) ** 1993 – Landon King (Rings, Parallel Bars) ** 2003 – Nate Dalo (Rings) *Women ** 1978 – Cathy Cubine ( Bars) ** 1979 – Cathy Cubine (

Beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

, All-Around) ** 1980 – Cathy Cubine (Bars, Floor, All-Around), Missy Urquhart (Vault) ** 1981 – Missy Urquhart (Bars, Beam, Floor)

Swimming

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team consistently finished near the top in District. Under the direction of Head Coach Casey Pacheco the women's team won their district championship meets in both 2015 and 2016. Many athletes then went on to compete at the regional level several placing quite high. In 2016 the men's team also won their district championship meet and sent athletes on to regionals. This particular season one male swimmer even went on to compete at the state level. The following year the swimming districts were rezoned and The team was placed in a more competitive district. Both team still had great showings though with the women taking second overall and the men taking third. This again meant that many athletes went on to compete at the regional level

Football

Professional Players

Dominic Rhodes Dominic Dondrell Rhodes (born January 17, 1979) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Midwestern State and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001. Rhodes was also a member ...

and

Justin Snow Justin Snow (born December 21, 1976) is a former American football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor University. He signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000 with the Indianapolis ...

were members of the 2007 NFL champion

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

.
Ray Berry
played for the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks from 1987 to 1993

played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers from 1986 to 1993

Appearances in the state championship game

With the exception of a few periods, the Cougars have been a team which contended for the district title. The teams of the mid 90s to the early 2000s were consistently in the playoffs. The 1996 team featuring

made it to the state championship game, playing Austin Westlake led by quarterback

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...

. Randy Allen,

Head Coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

at Cooper from the 1991 season through the 1998 seaso

was named to the Texas High School Coaches Association's Hall of Honor in 2006. History came full circle, as Coach Allen was on the 1967 team, the only other Cooper team to advance to the state finals to date. The 1967 game was a thriller. Due to a muffed extra point, Cougars lost by one point to then powerhouse

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

Reagan High School (Reagan went on to defeat

Permian High School Permian High School is a public high school located in Odessa, Texas and is one of three high schools in the Ector County Independent School District. It was the subject of the book '' Friday Night Lights'', which in turn inspired a movie and T ...

in the 1968 and 1970 state championship games) when the officials declined to rule a possible

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

in favor of Cooper on the final play of the game.

District Championships

1967 – District 2-4A – District Record 7-0
1969 – District 3-4A – District Record 8-0
1971 – District 5-4A – District Record 6-1 (Shared with Odessa Permian)
1979 – District 5-4A – District Record 7-0
1993 – District 4-5A – District Record 5-1 (Shared with Midland Lee & Odessa High)
1997 – District 4-5A – District Record 6-0
1998 – District 4-5A – District Record 4-1 (Shared with Midland Lee & Odessa Permian)
2000 – District 4-5A – District Record 4-1 (Shared with Midland Lee)
2001 – District 4-5A – District Record 4-1 (Shared with Abilene High)
2002 – District 3-5A – District Record 5-0
2003 – District 3-5A – District Record 4-1
2009 – District 4-4A – District Record 5-0
2010 – District 3-5A – District Record 4-1 (Shared with Abilene High & Midland High)
2014 - District 4-5A − District Record 3-1 (Shared with Lubbock Cooper High School & Plainview High School)
2016 - District 4-5A − District Record 4-1 (Shared with Lubbock Coronado)
2020 - District 3-5A - District Record 6-0

Postseason performance

=Bi-District

= 1967 – def. El Paso Burges 52-21
1969 – def. Amarillo Palo Duro 17-0
1971 – lost to

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...

21-34
1979 – lost to Lewisville 10-13
1992 – lost to

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

17-20
1993 – def. Lubbock Monterey 27-13
1994 – def. Lubbock Monterey 28-10
1995 – def. Lubbock Coronado 31-7
1996 – def. Amarillo 20-14
1997 – def. Amarillo Tascosa 28-14
1998 – lost to Amarillo 11-36
1999 – lost to Amarillo 30-33
2000 – def. Amarillo 26-0
2001 – lost to Lubbock Monterey 21-28
2002 – def. Burleson 20-10
2003 – lost to DeSoto 20-27
2007 – lost to Mansfield Timberview 13-17
2008 – def. Canyon Randall 35-0
2009 – def. Dumas 52-14
2010 – def. Arlington Lamar 41-6
2011 - def. Arlington Lamar High School 27-24
2012 - def.

Americas High School Americas High School is a high school in El Paso, Texas, United States. History Americas High School first opened its doors in September 1996. In order to cause minimal disruption to area high school students, the school's first classes consist ...

40-21
2013 - def. Lubbock Coronado High School 49-14
2014 - lost to Canyon Randall 27-34
2015 - def. Amarillo Caprock High School 45-43
2016 - def.

Dumas High School Dumas High School (DHS), formerly Dumas New Tech High School, is a comprehensive public secondary school located in Dumas, Arkansas, United States, for students in grades ten through twelve. Dumas is one of two public high schools in Desha Cou ...

37-14
2017 - def. Plainview High School 63-14

=Area

= 1993 – def. El Paso Riverside 61-22
1994 – def. El Paso Eastwood 81-26
1995 – def. El Paso Irvin 19-13
1996 – def. El Paso Irvin 42-21
1997 – def. El Paso Socorro 50-8
2000 – def. El Paso Del Valle 44-22
2002 – def. Amarillo 35-24
2008 – def. El Paso Del Valle 56-10
2009 – def. El Paso Del Valle 51-41
2010 - def. Amarillo Tascosa High School 36-17
2011 - def. Amarillo High School 21-14
2012 - lost to Arlington High School 20-27
2013 - def. Arlington Lamar High School 45-24
2015 - def. Del Valle High School 31-14
2016 - def.

Canutillo High School Canutillo High School is a public high school in Canutillo, Texas. It is the only zoned comprehensive high school in the Canutillo Independent School District. In addition to Canutillo, the district serves almost all of Vinton as well as t ...

55-23
2017 - def. Eastlake High School 42-21

=Regional

= 1969 – def. El Paso Coronado 36-0
1993 – def. Haltom 41-6
1994 – lost to Arlington 39-42
1995 – lost to Flower Mound Marcus 7-41
1996 – def. Irving Nimitz 38-18
1997 – def. South Grand Prairie 36-20
2000 – def. Coppell 28-27
2002 – lost to Southlake Carroll 17-41
2008 – lost to Denton Guyer 7-28
2009 – lost to Denton Guyer 34-57
2010 – lost to Denton Guyer 7-55
2011 - lost to

Mansfield Timberview High School Mansfield Timberview High School (THS) is a secondary school located in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is a Mansfield Independent School District campus. Its mascot is the wolf. Timberview High School was named an AVID National Demonstration ...

25-29
2013 - lost to Cedar Hill High School 23-28
2015 - lost to Aledo High School 0-33
2016 - lost to Aledo 35-56
2017 - lost to Aledo 31-34

=Quarter-finals

= 1967 – def. Amarillo Tascosa 37-0
1969 – tied with Wichita Falls 0-0 (WF advanced on 1st downs)
1993 – lost to Lewisville 21-52
1996 – def. Flower Mound Marcus 37-19
1997 – lost to Flower Mound Marcus 14-38
2000 – lost to Arlington Lamar 28-34

=Semi-finals

= 1967 – def.

Richardson Richardson may refer to: People * Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname * Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s * Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962) Places Australia * Richardson, Australian Cap ...

42-6
1996 – def.

Lake Highlands Lake Highlands is a neighborhood constituting most of Northeast Dallas. The neighborhood is a collection of dozens of subdivisions served by Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD public schools, as well as an array of private schools. Geography Overview ...

24-21

=Finals

= 1967 – lost to Austin Reagan 19-20
1996 – lost to Austin Westlake 15-55

Fine arts

Cooper enjoys a rich tradition of success in various branches of the fine and performing arts. 215 individuals have been named to the Texas All-State roster, with at least one Cooper student making All-State Choir, Band or Orchestra every year since 1971. Choir, Band, Orchestra, Art and Theater are all thriving on campus. One of Cooper's two feeder middle schools, Madison, has become the Abilene ISD magnet middle school for fine arts. Band has a rich and proud history at Cooper High School. Often among the largest high school

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

s in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s, the band made frequent appearances at the State Marching Contest. The band marched in the 1990

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if N ...

, one of only a handful of Texas High School bands to have ever done so. The band is currently led by head director Clay Johnson, a former

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

drum major who has directed the band since 2003, first as assistant for two years. Since 2005, three former Cooper Band members have been named drum major at

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

TMEA All-State Musicians

Cooper has had over 200 individuals be named to Texas All-State Bands, Choirs and Orchestras since 1971.TMEA All-State History Roster

Band

Piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

– 4: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 *

Flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

– 10: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1987 (2), 1993, 1997, 2000, 2001 * Bb Clarinet – 15: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992 (2), 1993, 1994 (2), 1995, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2012 *

Bass Clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

– 2: 1988, 2021 *

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

– 5: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1996, 2023 *

Bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

– 3: 1972, 1974, 1975 *

Alto Saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

– 6: 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2018 *

Baritone Saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

– 1: 2006 *

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

– 8: 1986 (2), 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2000 *

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

– 4: 1971, 1974, 2020, 2022 *

Tenor Trombone A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widel ...

– 14: 1986 (2), 1987 (2), 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995 (2), 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 *

Bass Trombone The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...

– 2: 1984, 1985 *

Euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

– 4: – 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008 *

Tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

– 2: – 2009, 2010 *

Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

– 10: 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2019, 2023 *

Harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

– 1: 1972

Choir

Soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

1 – 8: 1975, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2003 * Soprano 2 – 20: 1975 (2), 1976, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1989 (2), 1995, 1998, 1999 (2), 2001, 2002, 2003 (3), 2004, 2005 *

Alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

1 – 18: 1972, 1974, 1975 (2), 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 (3), 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997 (2), 1999, 2003 * Alto 2 – 13: 1975, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2005 *

Tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

1 – 12: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995 * Tenor 2 – 16: 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 (2), 1993 (2), 2004, 2005, 2011 * Bass 1 – 11: 1977, 1982, 1985 (2), 1986, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2002, 2004 (2) * Bass 2 – 10: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 (2), 1985, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1995

Orchestra

- 1: 1974 *

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

1 – 4: 1972, 1974, 1993, 1994 * Violin 2 – 2: 1973, 1974 *

Cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

– 5: 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1990 *

String Bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

– 7: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2001

Notable alumni

* Cory Aldridge, professional baseball player * Randy Allen, Highland Park football coach * Ray Berry, professional football player *

, professional golfer *

Jeff Ireland Jeff Ireland (born March 11, 1970) is an American football executive who is the assistant general manager and college scouting director for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the general manag ...

, former General Manager of the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

* Dave Johnson, former professional baseball player * Dowell Loggains, assistant coach,

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

Jack Mildren Larry Jack Mildren (October 10, 1949 – May 22, 2008), was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil compa ...

, professional football player, Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma *

Terry Orr Terrance F. Orr (born September 27, 1961) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the San Diego Chargers. He played high school football for Cooper High School in Abilene, ...

, professional football player *

Andrae Patterson Andrae Malone Patterson (born November 12, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works with the Portland Trail Blazers as the assistant General Manager. He played college basketball with Indiana. College career ...

, professional basketball player *

, professional football player *

Rawson Stovall Rawson Law Stovall (born 1972) is the first nationally syndicated video game journalist in the United States. Stovall's first column appeared in the ''Abilene Reporter-News'', his local newspaper, in 1982, when he was eleven. He began being distr ...

, video game producer, author, and first nationally-syndicated reviewer of video games *

Steven Stucky Steven Edward Stucky (November 7, 1949 − February 14, 2016) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer. Life and career Stucky was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. At age 9, he moved with his family to Abilene, Texas, where, as a teenager, he ...

, Pulitzer Prize-winning classical composer *

Bernie Tiede Bernhardt Tiede II (; born August 2, 1958) is an American mortician who was convicted of the November 19, 1996 murder of his companion, wealthy 81-year-old widow Marjorie "Marge" Nugent, in Carthage, Texas. He was 38 at the time of the murder. ...

, convicted murderer, subject of movie '' Bernie'' *

Robert Sloan Robert Sloan (born 14 July 1983) is a Scottish footballer, who plays for Armadale Thistle in the Scottish Junior Football Association, East Region. He has previously played in the Scottish Premier League for Heart of Midlothian. Career Sl ...

, former president, Baylor University

References

External links

Cooper HS Website

Faculty and academics

Athletics

Volleyball

Golf

Tennis

Tennis State Championships

Baseball

Baseball State Championship Appearances

Gymnastics

Gymnastics Championships

Swimming

Football

Professional Players

Appearances in the state championship game

District Championships

Postseason performance

=Bi-District

=Area

=Regional

=Quarter-finals

=Semi-finals

=Finals

Fine arts

TMEA All-State Musicians

Band

Choir

Orchestra

Notable alumni

References

External links

See also