Inductees

Athlete Bio


Baseball

Football

John S. Cooper

Class of 1976

A powerful and accurate pair of left extremities, combined with the will to win and an extraordinary mental toughness were the keys to John Cooper's athletic success. A three year starter in both football and baseball and winner of the 1978 Senior Athletic Award, John's contributions on the gridiron and baseball diamond earned him All-Scholastic honors in both sports and will be long remembered by many. Between seasons he laced up his skates for the CCHS ice hockey team, where he earned two varsity letters.

Under the tutelage of Coach Brent Clark, ''The Coop" began battering baseball opponents in his sophomore year. During the Pat's tourney run in 1976 he pitched seven innings in the victory against Lynn English, and then turned around and swung for four hits and five RBI's against Taunton while "resting" his arm in right field. A three time DCL All-Star and Lowell Sun baseball Player of the Year as a senior, Cooper fired 216 career strikeouts (more than one per inning pitched) and a 344 career batting average.

The gifted southpaw also put his arm to good use on the football field, where he quarterbacked a successful C-C squad. And when the arm was not enough, Coop's left punting leg would bury the opposing offense deep in its own territory, and his steady extra point and field goal kicking would provide the margin of victory.

In one memorable game against Acton-Boxborough he was knocked out of the game only to retum one play later to boom a 70 yard punt! As a senior his 47 yard field goal beat Wayland, and he struck from 40 yards out against Xaverian just two weeks later.

After being named a DCL football All-Star twice, he was recruited by then University of Maine coach, Jack Bicknell. Ironically, both Cooper and Bicknell ended up at Boston College in the fall of 1978, John on scholarship in Jack's football program! John's foot continued to develop at The Heights and by his sophomore year he had stepped into the national spotlight. His two field goals that year against Holy Cross secured an exciting 13-10 victory for the Eagles and he was awarded the coveted O'Melia Award (game MVP). While one division I sport is enough for most athletes, John continued his baseball career at BC, as well as a double major, and was named the 1982 Student Athlete of the Year.



Upon graduation in 1982 John joined AT&T in New York City. He is presently a marketing executive for Putnam Investments in Boston and lives in Methuen with his wife Debra (CCHS 78) and daughters Emily (6) and Lauren (2).