Sept. 27, 2023
Marty Cooper played point guard on a very successful high school basketball team in Ohio. Although he wouldn’t get an opportunity to play college ball, his work ethic and passion for the game would lead him to become one of the most successful coaches in the Mississippi community college league and only one of two to win a men’s basketball state championship at East Central Community College in Decatur. In recognition of his outstanding success, he will be inducted into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 12, 2023.
When notified of his selection, Cooper expressed his excitement and gratitude. “This is special!” he said. “This is where Jennifer and I started our lives together 32 years ago. It was my first head coaching job. It is where Jennifer started helping me as an assistant coach. So many great memories at ECCC from the players we coached, to the people we met, and the positive impact ECCC had on our lives.”
Cooper’s journey to the college coaching ranks took a unconventional route compared to many of his colleagues. He admitted, “I wasn’t good enough to play college basketball,” and although he had an opportunity play baseball at a small NAIA school, he really didn’t have the heart for baseball like he did basketball. So, he quit school and went to work.
He tried various jobs, from working on an assembly line at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant to being a janitor at the phone company and serving as assistant editor for the local newspaper. He said wasn’t good at any of those jobs. He would discover his true calling through his volunteer work as a coach for a basketball youth league team of fourth through sixth graders.
His high school counselor, Tom Perry, who had a son on Cooper’s team encouraged him to return to school and earn his degree. Cooper took his advice and received his degree from Rio Grande College in Ohio at the age of 28.
Cooper initially thought he would be a high school coach until he went in for his college exit interview and was encouraged to obtain a master’s degree to be able to coach at the college level. He took a job as a graduate assistant teacher in the Physical Education Department at Miami (Ohio) University in Oxford, Ohio, where he would hone his skills and lay the foundation for his career. Cooper served three years as an assistant at Miami, a Division I school, before taking the reins of the Warrior basketball program in fall of 1991.
Cooper would see success early in his career with a talented group of players he described as impressive.
“We inherited an excellent group of kids. The players on that first team had a lot of respect for Gulf Coast and the first time we played them we won 75-52 and from that point on the players and coaches believed in each other. We won the South Division, South Division Tournament, and finished State Runners-Up. We went 27-5 and had to jell so quickly. That team had the talent to make it to the National Tournament and win some games.”
The following year would consist of a young team, also full of excellent players, including future NBA draft pick Marcus Mann.
“We all know how great Marcus was as a player. Marcus is an even better person. He also had good teammates. We had talent, but we had great people. We had some tough kids as well. We played in the state championship game again that year. We were down 19-2 to start the game at Gulf Coast. I remember calling time out and looking into the eyes of our players and saying, ‘Hey, they are pretty good (Gulf Coast).’ I told them Gulf Coast would give us an opportunity to get back in the game. They did and Stacey Miller hit a shot to put the game in overtime and his high school teammate, Anthony Coleman, hit the game winner.”
Cooper holds a 116-81 overall record at ECCC that includes two South Division Championships, two South State Tournament Championships, and the 1993 State Championship, which was the first and only since 1953. His teams played in three straight state championship games from 1992 to 1994. He was named 1992 Clarion Ledger Coach of the Year and 1993 MACJC Coach of the Year.
He said, “What was so wonderful about the state championship is the support we had from the faculty, staff, and community. Dr. (Eddie) Smith loaded a bus and got everyone down to Perk. I think we had as many fans as Gulf Coast. It was a close group of young men, and they did everything we asked of them. It is always great to hear from one of them and I know winning that state title is still very precious to them.”
His ECCC career was filled with outstanding games, exceptional players, and big wins, but the true measure of success is the fact that of all his players at East Central graduated and most went on to senior college and are still very productive citizens today.
Terry Underwood who is a former head football coach and athletic director at East Central said of Cooper, “Although Coach Cooper’s success is without debate, it cannot be fully represented by on-the-court success. He also had a 100 percent graduation rate within his program and 12 players signed Division I scholarships to continue their collegiate careers. He was an outstanding coach and mentor who developed young men beyond basketball. His program was run with class and integrity.”
After East Central, Cooper’s journey would continue at Itawamba Community College where he added another MACJC state championship to his list of achievements. His ICC teams won the Region 23 championship three times and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament Final 16 three times. It is the only three times ICC has reached the National Tournament.
Following his retirement from Itawamba, Cooper took over as the head coach of a small 1A team in Belgreen, AL, where his overall record is currently 90-31 and his team finished as state runner-up in 2021, only the second time in school history they have played in the title game and the first since 1994.
Cooper said he has had many great influences in his life including his high school coach.
“Coach (Al) Burger, my high school coach, taught me so much and guided me through my time at Miami and was a life-long friend who always taught us more than basketball. I also believe that players are what make a good coach, and I would not have been elected to the Hall of Fame without talented players, who are too many to name.”
He has also found great friends among the coaching ranks including EC alumnus Chris Croft who served as a student assistant coach for Cooper at East Central in the early 90s. Chris would go on to coach at the college level and now works in the athletics department at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Croft said about Cooper, “From day one, Coach Cooper created a championship culture from the basketball court, in the classroom, and to us personally on campus. He pushed all of us to work hard together, believe in each other, and face challenges head-on.”
Cooper said he is thankful for the many friendships made at ECCC and is especially grateful for Dr. Eddie Smith and the ECCC board who gave him the opportunity to coach at ECCC. But there was one couple who stood out among the rest.
“When you talk about friends,” Cooper said, “we had so many at ECCC, too many to name. However, we were blessed to become special friends with Ovid and Carol Vickers. The Vickers were our friends and really our second set of parents. They helped a young married couple coaching their first team so much. We miss them dearly. When I hear someone say East Central, the first thing I think about is Ovid and Carol. It is extra special to go into the Hall of Fame at the same time their daughter, Harriet Vickers Laird,n is being honored.”
But Cooper said he would be remiss if he didn’t acknowledge the invaluable support of his family, particularly his wife, Jennifer.
“Jennifer Cooper is not only my wife and best friend, but the best assistant coach for 32 years. She has stuck with me through thick and thin. Jen is my rock.”
Additional family members include children Emily Herrmann, Ryan Cooper, and McKenzie Cooper; his parents, Kay Cooper and the late Ed Cooper, and sisters Kathy Leary and Carla Wayland.
His advice for aspiring coaches emphasizes the importance of balance, faith, and hard work.
“Do not let basketball consume you!” he said. “Jen and I had a blast and still enjoy coaching together, but life goes by fast. Enjoy family time. Put God first in your life and He will take care of the rest. Jen and I always went to church but the last 12 years we have finally put God first in our lives and it has been a blessing. Now, you must put in the long hours, have a good work ethic, and you must be patient, but if you put God first, He will guide your path.”
