Cecil Celester Cooper (born December 20, 1949) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

and sports agent. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

from 1971 to 1987 for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

and the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. Cooper was a member of the Red Sox team that won the 1975 American League pennant but, rose to prominence as a member of the Brewers where he became a five-time American League All-Star player and a two-time American League RBI champion. During his playing career, the left-handed hitting Cooper accumulated a .298 batting average and won three

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters ...

s as well as two

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

s. He reached the World Series in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

with the Red Sox and

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

with the Brewers however, neither team was victorious. In 1983, Cooper was named the recipient of the prestigious

Roberto Clemente Award The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fan ...

. After his athletic career, he became a sports agent before returning to work for the Brewers as a coach and

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

manager. He was the manager for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

from 2007 to 2009. Cooper was inducted into the Milwaukee Brewers Walk of Fame in 2002, and the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor in 2014.

Playing career

Cooper was born in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

where he attended Brenham High School and later attended

Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher lear ...

in Prairie View, Texas. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the

1968 Major League Baseball draft The 1968 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft took place prior to the 1968 MLB season. The draft saw the New York Mets take shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, whi ...

and made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 1972 at the age of 21. On December 6, 1976, Before the 1977 season, the Red Sox traded Cooper to the

for George Scott for Bernie Carbo. After being traded to the Brewers, Cooper altered his batting stance to resemble the stance of

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins ...

, leaning far back on his left foot and his arms partially extended. The stance helped Cooper in hitting outside pitches to the opposite field, while still pulling inside pitches. The stance change was effective, as Cooper batted .302 as a Brewer, compared to a .283 average he had during his time in Boston. Cecil Cooper 1976

A five-time All-Star, Cooper hit .300 or more from to . His most productive season came in , when he hit a career-high .352 (finishing second in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

behind batting champion

George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player who played all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are second- ...

's .390 average for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

), and he also led the league in RBIs (122) and

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

(335). In 1983 Cooper hit .307 with 30 home runs and a league-leading and career-high 126 RBIs. He also posted three seasons with 200-plus

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

, in 1980, and 1983, finished fifth in the AL MVP vote, and was named the Brewers' team MVP in three seasons (1980, 1982–83). An excellent defensive first baseman, he was a two-time

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in b ...

winner (1979–80). He also won the

in three straight years (1980–82); the only other Brewer to have done so is

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and fi ...

(2008–10). Cooper concluded his Major League career with 11 seasons as a Brewer, including an appearance in the

1982 World Series The 1982 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1982 season. The 79th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals and the ...

. Cooper holds the Milwaukee franchise records for hits (219 in 1980). Cooper held the team record for RBIs in a season with 126 until Prince Fielder broke that record on September 19, 2009 against the Houston Astros, who Cooper was managing at the time. Through 2011 he was one of three Brewers who have had four 100-RBI seasons, along with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. In 1983 he was honored with the

, and in 2002 he was inducted into the Brewers Walk of Fame. Cooper was released by the Brewers in the middle of the 1987 season. In a 17-season career, Cooper posted a .298 batting average with 2192 hits in 7349 at-bats, 1012 runs, 415 doubles, 241

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, 448

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Sec ...

and 1125

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

in 1896

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

Post-playing career

"Out of necessity," Cooper began working for his

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

. Cooper eventually took on his own clients including Randy Johnson, Wade Boggs and

Joe Girardi Joseph Elliott Girardi (born October 14, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Girardi played the catcher position for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and St. ...

. After working as an agent for a number of years, Wendy Selig-Prieb recruited Cooper to return to the Brewers to serve as the Director of Player Development or "farm director," a post he held for three years. He was named

bench coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for Milwaukee in and also managed the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opened ...

in – 04. He returned to the Major League coaching ranks in as a bench coach for the

Managing career

On August 27, , he was named the interim manager of the Astros following the firing of Phil Garner, making him the first African American field manager in Astros' history. The Astros were 58-73 at the time Cooper was brought in as manager. Cooper's previous managerial experience was at Class AAA Indianapolis, the Milwaukee Brewers' top farm club. Cooper went 15-16 to close the year for the Astros having a total record of 73-89. On September 28, , Cooper's interim tag was dropped and he became the Astros' 16th manager. The 2008 team had a series of up and downs. Carlos Lee suffered a broken pinky finger on August 9 that saw him miss the rest of the season. The Astros were 44-51 at the All-Star Break. However, by August 19, the Astros were 64-62 after winning twenty of 31 games to start the second half of the season. They had two different winning streaks of eight games in August. On September 8, they had eighteen games to play and were trailing by five games to Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card, and on the 11th, they had a record of 80-67. The Astros were slated to play games in Houston on September 12th and 13th, but

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

scuttled those plans, with the resulting decision being that the Astros were moved to play their opponent at an agreed neutral site with Miller Park in Milwaukee for September 14-15 (sources later stated that Minnesota, St. Louis, Florida, and Atlanta offered their services as alternate sites). Trailing by 2.5 games behind Milwaukee on the 14th with fifteen games to go,

Carlos Zambrano Carlos Alberto Zambrano Matos (born June 1, 1981), nicknamed "Big Z" or "El Toro", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2001 to 2012 for the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. Zambrano ...

threw a no-hitter against Houston. The Astros lost the second game at Miller Park to fall to 80-69. It would send the team into a tailspin at the worst time, as the Astros would go 6-6 for the rest of the season while Milwaukee coasted to the Wild Card spot. Cooper admitted that the hurricane impacted the team, stating "I think it affected us a lot. I don't want to go into it any more. I'm really past that. So if we could go to something else that would be great." At one point, Cooper abruptly ended a postgame interview by banging his hand on a desk, which he later apologized for. In the end, the Astros finished 86-75, four games behind Milwaukee for the final spot (the Astros did not play Game 162 as it was not needed). Ten games into the 2009 season, Cooper had his option for 2010 picked up. Cooper was released as Astros manager on September 21, 2009. With thirteen games remaining in the 2009 season, Cooper was fired with the team at a 70-79 record while the team was on a seven-game losing streak. The team was plagued by a variety of offseason flubs and middling play from star players such as Lance Berkman and

Roy Oswalt Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texa ...

despite having a payroll of $103 million. The Astros finished with their second losing season in the past three years and only the third since 1991.He finished with a record of 171-170.

Personal life

Cooper was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. He lives now in Katy, Texas with his wife Octavia. He has three adult daughters: Kelly, Brittany and Tori.

Managerial record

References

External links

Houston Astros biographyCecil Cooper
- Baseballbiography.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Cecil 1949 births Living people African-American baseball players African-American baseball managers African-American baseball coaches American League All-Stars American League RBI champions American members of the Churches of Christ American sports agents Boston Red Sox players Danville Warriors players Gold Glove Award winners Greenville Red Sox players Houston Astros coaches Houston Astros managers Indianapolis Indians managers Jamestown Falcons players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Texas Milwaukee Brewers coaches Milwaukee Brewers players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Katy, Texas Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas Winston-Salem Red Sox players Winter Haven Super Sox players People from Brenham, Texas Prairie View A&M University alumni Silver Slugger Award winners 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople