Charles Theodore "Tarzan" Cooper (August 30, 1907 – December 19, 1980) was an African American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is mostly known for his time with the all-Black professional

New York Renaissance The New York Renaissance, also known as the Renaissance Big R Five and as the Rens, were the first black-owned, all-black, fully-professional basketball team in history, established in October 1923, by Robert "Bob" Douglas. They were named after t ...

(1929–41). Cooper was born in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. After playing at

Philadelphia Central High School Central High School is a public high school in the LoganLogan Redevelopment Area ...

, Cooper turned pro in 1925. He played for the Philadelphia Panthers and Philadelphia Saints until 1929 when he joined the

or Rens for eleven seasons. All were independent teams because the early professional leagues were all-white. At 6 ft 4 in (193 cm), Cooper has been called the greatest

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

that ever played by

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Joe Lapchick Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick (April 12, 1900 – August 10, 1970) was an American professional basketball player, mostly known for playing with the Original Celtics in the 1920s and 1930s. He is commonly regarded as the best center of his era, overs ...

, center for the rival

Original Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The tea ...

. Cooper died at age 73 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

External links

"Charles T. Cooper"
at the Basketball Hall of Fame. 1907 births 1980 deaths African-American basketball players New York Renaissance players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Centers (basketball) Basketball players from Delaware American men's basketball players People from Newark, Delaware 20th-century African-American sportspeople Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni {{1900s-US-basketball-bio-stub