Kenny Cooper Sr. (born 11 October 1946) is an English former football player and coach. A

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

, he spent ten seasons playing for the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League and eighteen seasons coaching indoor soccer. He was the 1984 and 1988 Major Indoor Soccer League Coach of the Year.

Playing career

Cooper started his playing career in England where he played mainly for

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...

in the Lancashire Combination and Northern Premier League between 1967 and 1970. He left

in late 1970 and emigrated to the United States where he played for Dallas Tornado between 1970 and 1979.

Coaching career

In 1979, Cooper retired from playing and was immediately hired to replace

Timo Liekoski Timo Liekoski (born June 30, 1942) is a Finnish soccer coach who managed teams in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association and Major League Soccer. He currently holds a variety of coach ...

as the head coach of the

Houston Summit Houston Summit were a professional indoor soccer team that operated from 1978 to 1980. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1980, the franchise was moved to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Blast. Their roster mainly include ...

of Major Indoor Soccer League. Cooper took the Summit to the 1980 MISL championship game, where it lost to the New York Arrows. In 1980, the team's owner,

Bernie Rodin Bernie may refer to: Places in the United States * Bernie, Missouri, a city * Griffithsville, West Virginia, also called Bernie People * Bernie (given name) ** Bernie Sanders, United States senator and 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential candi ...

, had decided to move the team to the east coast, but was unsure which city. He tasked Cooper with deciding between Baltimore and Boston. When Cooper arrived in Baltimore, he "was excited from the beginning. It just reminded me of Liverpool." He returned to Houston and informed Rodin the team should relocate to Baltimore. In 1984, he coached the Blast to its only championship in the original MISL and was the 1984 and 1988 MISL Coach of the Year. Cooper also served as the Blast's general manager. In 1992, the Blast folded along with the MISL. With the collapse of the Blast, Cooper was instrumental in the forming of the

Baltimore Spirit The Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The team is a part of the Major Arena Soccer League. The team has won 10 championships since it was founded in 1980. Beginning with ...

in July 1992. The Spirit entered the indoor National Professional Soccer League. Cooper took the Spirit to the playoffs in both of his seasons as coach. In 1994, stepped down as head coach, but remained as the team president. In 1995, Cooper joined with Bill Collins, a minor-league baseball owner, to enter an expansion team into the NPSL. He went on to serve as general manager and coach for the team, known as the Tampa Bay Terror. He took the team to a 14–26 record in his first season, and took what was described as a "leave of absence" from coaching duties (while maintaining his position as team president) in December 1996. He was replaced first by Perry Van der Beck on an interim basis, then Derrick Marcano, who coached the team to the playoffs. The Terror folded at the conclusion of the 1996–97 season.

Personal life

He is the father of

Kenny Cooper Kenneth Scott Cooper Jr. (born October 21, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward. He began his soccer career with Manchester United but failed to break through to the first team. He went on to play for clubs in P ...

, who also played professionally. He and

Mike Renshaw Michael Lawrence Renshaw (28 April 1948 – 17 February 2021) was an English-American football left winger. He began as a youth player with Blackpool before moving to the United States to join the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer ...

currently co-own a wine import business.Cooper soccer legacy adds a few feet
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Kenny Sr. Living people Blackburn Rovers F.C. players English footballers Fleetwood Town F.C. players Association football goalkeepers North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Dallas Tornado players Sportspeople from Blackpool Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches Association football executives 1946 births English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States English expatriate footballers English football managers