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- Title:
- Student-Athlete
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- Previous College Sports Played:
- Football
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- Graduating Class:
- 1951
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- Induction Class:
- 1972
Bio
A legendary figure in Siouxland sporting circles for decades, Bernard “Beanie” Cooper notched an extraordinary athletic coaching, and administrative career. Cooper spent 16 years as football coach at Algona Garrigan, and Bishop Heelan Catholic, capturing the 1971 state mythical football championship at Heelan, and compiling a 43-11 overall record. Cooper was the head football coach at the University of South Dakota for four seasons, highlighted with a North Central Conference championship in 1978. Cooper was instrumental in the efforts to construct the Dakota Dome, one of the first multi-purpose domes in the country. He later spent nine seasons as athletic director at Indiana State University. Cooper was inducted into the Iowa Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame.
The 1951 Morningside graduate played football for coach George Allen.