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MAINE SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Attention to detail fostered respect, success for Cooper

By Gary Hawkins ghawkins@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

It wasn't until he entered high school that Kevin Cooper developed a full appreciation for the man sitting across the dinner table.

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Former Lawrence High School football coach and Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee Pete Cooper inside his home in a room surrounded by high school, college and national football memorabilia including a Shriners Lobster Bowl football from a game he coached in 1997.

Staff photo by David Leaming

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MAINE SPORTS HALL OF FAME

What: Maine Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Scholarship Awards Ceremony
Who: Athletes/coaches — Pete Cooper, Art Dyer, Dick McGee, Harold Violette, Doug Roberts, Seth Wescott. High school scholar athletes — Kaitlyn Hall, (Thornton), Mike McCann (Winslow) Evan Nadeau (Brewer), Taylor Seeley (Washington Academy), Caroline Summa (Cheverus).
When: Noon, Sunday
Where: Augusta Civic Center

That's when his dad, Pete Cooper, became his football coach at Lawrence High School. Kevin had watched his dad from the sidelines since he was a toddler. His mom, Lois, even made him a tiny uniform to wear during games. But there's nothing like watching a coach through a player's eyes.

"I noticed how much my friends respected him and looked up to him," Kevin said. "Then I realized how much impact he had on all of us."

Cooper coached at Lawrence for 28 years, establishing one of the state's pre-eminent football programs. In all, he's been coaching the game 46 seasons, the last 12 as an assistant under Kevin, the head coach at Bonny Eagle.

Earle "Pete" Cooper will be inducted Sunday in the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Augusta Civic Center along with Dick McGee, who laid the groundwork for Lawrence's football success well before Cooper arrived, and Harold "Tank" Violette, a friend and coaching adversary at Winslow High School. The distinguished class of inductees also includes two-time Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott, basketball coach Art Dyer and former player and coach Doug Roberts.

Kevin admits his dad has mellowed now that he's an assistant, but he still adheres to the principles that made him one of Maine's most revered high school football coaches. Kevin said his father's strength as a coach lay in his ability to individualize instruction in a team sport.

"Some kids you kick in the butt, some kids you pat on the back," Pete Cooper said.

A quarterback for his dad at Lawrence, Kevin fell into the former category, although Pete said, "I left him alone as a senior."

And father and son left any disagreements they had on the practice or playing field instead of bringing them home.

"The two of us learned that lesson from my wife," Pete said. "She told us one time, that was it. We wanted to eat supper so we decided to listen to her."

Cooper, 70, grew up in Bath and played football at Morse High School before moving on to the University of Maine where he played halfback and cornerback for Harold Westerman.

"We were not as talented as UConn or UMass," Cooper said. "We made up for that with great coaching and a lot of hustle."

Former Maine baseball coach Jack Butterfield was Cooper's position coach in football and was one of many who influenced his attention to detail. Cooper also emerged from a UMaine coaching program that produced football coaches Mike Haley, Dave Brown, Phil Soule, Tom Austin, Violette and Dick DeVarney. Just a few years later, a second group that included John Wolfgram, Mike Landry, Gene Benner and Dave Wing came out of Maine and had an equally significant impact on the sport in Maine.

Cooper spent five years at Madison before coming to Lawrence in the late '60s to try to revive a program McGee had built up in the 1950's before moving on to Colby College.

"He could get you motivated," said Dan Dangler, a running back on Cooper's first state title team in 1973. "He could get the hair standing up on the back of your neck, no doubt about it."

Dangler said Cooper might reference George Washington crossing the Delaware to inspire his players.

"He was a history guy," Dangler said.

Dangler went on to become one of Cooper's assistant coaches and remains on the coaching staff at Lawrence today.

"It took me a long time before I could actually call him Pete," Dangler said.

Dangler recalled one time as an assistant when he was assessed a penalty for complaining from the sidelines.

"I got a flag on me in a varsity game," he said. "(Pete) gave me the devil. I was heartbroken. The MAN was mad at me. It never happened again "

As players, Dangler and his teammates saw how Cooper dissected the game to its most basic elements, much as Cooper's coaches had done at Maine.

"He was very much a perfectionist," Kevin said.

As an assistant coach, Dangler gained a deeper insight into Cooper's methods that included scouting trips, Sunday morning meetings and long film sessions.

"Pete was very organized," Dangler said. "He stayed on schedule and never left a stone unturned."

The reward, at least part of it, is reflected in Cooper's overall record -- 216 wins, 96 losses, four ties and three state titles. But there was more.

"It used to be so much fun," Dangler said. "Not just coaching with him but after practice with Pete and Mike Mealey. We'd stay long after the last kids left."

Dangler said Cooper adapted to changes in the game, but never changed his philosophy on individual and team accountability.

"He was still demanding and still demanded respect," Dangler said. "I respect him deeply."

Kevin said his dad made a seamless transition to assistant coach at Bonny Eagle, although Pete said it took him about a year. He had no plans to return to coaching until his son asked him. The game, he said, has changed.

"He showed me his playbook," Pete said, remarking on its thickness. "He has a lot of new ideas, a lot of new concepts. Today, everybody is skillful, it's more like fastbreak basketball."

Bonny Eagle has won four Class A state titles since 2004 and Pete Cooper has been an integral part of the school's success. He and his wife rent a cottage 20 minutes from the school each fall and he continues to do what he's done most of his life.

"It's been a terrific experience for me to go down to Bonny Eagle," Pete said. "The kids are a lot like Lawrence kids, they're blue collar guys."

Cooper also gets to coach his grandson Cameron, who is a senior on the team.

"I'm so proud of him," Pete said.

Should Cameron play in college next year, Pete said he'll follow him rather than continue to coach. In either case, football will continue to have a major impact on his life.

"It's truly a team sport," Pete said. "One player or two players can't do it by themselves. Teammates depend on you. Everybody gets knocked down, everybody gets back up."

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com