Adrian 'Coop' Cooper, a beloved Oakland high school football coach and mentor to legions of young athletes, has lost his battle with cancer. He was 40.
OAKLAND — Adrian “Coop” Cooper, a beloved Oakland high school football coach and mentor to legions of young athletes, has lost his battle with cancer. He was 40.
In a press release announcing his death, Oakland Unified School District officials recalled Cooper’s desire to attend Fremont High School on February 2’s signing day ceremonies honoring football players he coached on their decisions to attend college.Even though cancer was taking its toll on him, Coach Coop attended.
“I almost didn’t come,” he said that day. “I was just depressed. But I thought about the boys and how much it means to them… They get me through the day a lot of days. There were some days during the season, on Fridays, where I got out of chemo and came here to coach. They keep me grounded.”Cooper was the assistant football coach at school. Last September, he was diagnosed with lymphoma of the stomach. During the last several months, he was undergoing chemotherapy.
He began his football coaching career at Oakland High School more than 15 years ago and through the years guided 18 of his student athletes to scholarships to play Division I college football.In addition to coaching at Fremont High School, Cooper launched his own youth flag football league and team.