Gary Cooper (25 November 1938 – 18 August 2019), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of " Super Duper" Gary Cooper, was an English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s. He played at representative level for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

(non-

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

es), and at club level for

Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rovers are one of the last "smal ...

( Heritage No. 396) ( captain), and

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the ...

( Heritage No. 725), as an occasional

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ...

-kicking , or , i.e. number 1, or, 3 or 5, and coached at club level for

(Assistant Coach to Neil Fox), and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

(Initially Assistant Coach to Tommy Harris, then

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 ...

Background

Gary Cooper was born in

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins th ...

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England, he died aged 80 from a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

(heart attack), and his funeral will take place at All Saints Church, North Featherstone at 1:15pm on Thursday 12 September 2019, followed a reception at Featherstone Rovers Clubhouse.

Playing career

International honours

Gary Cooper was selected for

while at Featherstone Rovers for the 1962 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, during which he played 16 non-

es.

Championship Final appearances

Gary Cooper played in

's 21–9 victory over St. Helens in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

Final replay during the 1966–67 season at Station Road, Swinton on Wednesday 10 May 1967, and was

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

winning the

Harry Sunderland Trophy The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded annually to the man of the match in the Super League Grand Final. Named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom, the Troph ...

in the 17–10 victory over

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...

in the

Final during the 1967–68 season at

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

on Saturday 4 May 1968.Hoole, Les (2004). ''Wakefield Trinity RLFC – FIFTY GREAT GAMES''. Breedon Books.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Gary Cooper played in

's 10–11 defeat by

in the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

Challenge Cup "Watersplash" Final during the 1967–68 season at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on Saturday 11 May 1968, in front of a crowd of 87,100.

Club career

Gary Cooper made his début for

on Wednesday 20 August 1958, and he played his last match for Featherstone Rovers during the 1965–66 season,Bailey, Ron (20 September 2001). ''Images of Sport - Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Football Club''. The History Press. he appears to have scored no drop-goals (or field-goals as they are currently known in Australasia), but prior to the 1974–75 season all goals, whether; conversions, penalties, or drop-goals, scored 2-points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented, therefore "0" drop-goals may indicate drop-goals not recorded, rather than no drop-goals scored.

Coaching career

Club career

Gary Cooper was the Assistant Coach in

's 5–32 defeat by St. Helens in the 1971–72 Challenge Cup

quarter-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

match during the 1971–72 season at

Clarence Street Clarence Street is a former rugby stadium in York, England. From 1885 until 1989 it was the home of York F.C. (later York R.L.F.C.) before being sold and demolished. The site is now housing. History York Football Club was formed in 1868 and pla ...

on Saturday 4 March 1972.

Genealogical information

Gary Cooper was the older brother of the rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s for

( Heritage No. 728); Brian Cooper (birth registered fourth ¼ 1940), Colin Cooper (birth registered first ¼ 1946), the rugby league executive (former

chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

); Kath M. Hetherington ( née Cooper, birth registered second ¼ 1952), and the brother-in-law of her husband the rugby league player, coach and executive;

Gary Hetherington Gary Hetherington (born 1954) is an English professional rugby league executive and former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He is the chief executive officer of the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. Hetherington made his débu ...

, and the older brother of rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s for

and Wakefield Trinity ( A-Team); Stephen "Steve" Cooper (birth registered fourth ¼ 1953).

References

External links

Gary CooperJune 2013Rugby Cup Final 1968
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Gary 1938 births 2019 deaths English rugby league coaches English rugby league players Featherstone Rovers captains Featherstone Rovers players Great Britain national rugby league team players Rugby league centres Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Castleford Wakefield Trinity players York Wasps coaches