fred cooper - inductee #197
Fred Cooper
Though it’s been nearly 60 years since he began to dominate on the track at Stinnett High School, Cooper remains perhaps the top distance runner ever from the Texas Panhandle.
His specialty at Stinnett was the 880, the two-lap race. Cooper was state runner-up as a junior in 1965, and as a senior, not only won the state title, but set a Class 2A record in the event in 1:55.4, a mark that stood for the next 18 years.
Cooper was recruited by many of the top track programs of major colleges, but decided to return to the site of his greatest high school highlight – Austin and the University of Texas. Though a small-town boy, Cooper would thrive on a bigger stage against the top collegiate runners in the country.
The first year he was eligible to run on varsity in 1968, Cooper won the Southwest Conference mile in 4:10.6. A stress fracture in his foot as a junior in the spring of 1969 slowed him down, but he was still runner-up in the mile at the SWC meet.
He came into his own as a senior when he was named a tri-captain. He won the SWC cross country title in the fall of 1969 and that set him up for a great track season when he doubled as conference champion in the mile in 4:06.4 and 3-mile in 14:13.8. He was the first double-distance conference winner in four years, and his combined times for a double champion were the lowest in SWC history.
Eventually, Cooper would flirt with breaking the four-minute mile, running a best of 4:03.2 in Houston, still the fastest mile ever by an area runner. He was named the MVP by his Texas teammates.
For the last 25 years, he managed Texhoma Federal Credit Union in Fritch until his retirement just last year. He and wife Marilee have two sons and a daughter and six grandchildren.
thank you to our 197th inductee sponsor
