Cecil Cooper

Cecil Celester Cooper (born December 20, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, manager and sports agent. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1971 to 1987 for the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers. Cooper was a member of the Red Sox team that won the 1975 American League pennant but he 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 Awards as well as two Gold Glove Awards. He reached the World Series in 1975 with the Red Sox and 1982 with the Brewers however, neither team was victorious. In 1983, Cooper was named the recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.

After his athletic career, he became a sports agent before returning to work for the Brewers as a coach and minor league manager. He was the manager for the Houston Astros 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.

Cooper was born in Brenham, Texas, where he attended Brenham High School and later attended Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 1968 Major League Baseball draft 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 Milwaukee Brewers for George Scott and Bernie Carbo.

After being traded to the Brewers, Cooper altered his batting stance to resemble the stance of Rod Carew, 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 the .283 average he had during his time in Boston.

A five-time All-Star, Cooper hit .300 or more from 1977 to 1983. His most productive season came in 1980, when he hit a career-high .352 (finishing second in the American League behind batting champion George Brett's .390 average for the Kansas City Royals), and he also led the league in RBIs (122) and total bases (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, in 1980, 1982 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 winner (1979–80). He also won the Silver Slugger Award in three straight years (1980–82); the only other Brewer to have done so is Ryan Braun (2008–10).

Cooper concluded his Major League career with 11 seasons as a Brewer, including an appearance in the 1982 World Series. Cooper holds the Milwaukee franchise record 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.