
Rodeo legend Roy Cooper has died: See how Oklahoma Sports Hall of Famer changed calf roping
Roy Cooper, eight-time world champion roper and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Famer, died the night of April 29. Multiple news reports said Cooper died in a fire at his Decatur, Texas, home, according to Parade Magazine.
Tuf Cooper, Cooper's youngest son, made the following statement on his official fan page Facebook:
"It is with great sadness that our family shares the passing of our Dad, The Super Looper, Roy Cooper. We're all in shock and at a loss for words from this tragedy at the moment."
While Cooper was not born in Oklahoma, his mother grew up just outside of Lawton, and he joined the rodeo team for Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. He would make Durant his home for 12 years, and those years were some of his most successful as part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association.
Of Cooper's eight world championships, six were in tie-down calf roping, one in steer roping and one all-around. He won the coveted Triple Crown (tie-down roping, steer roping and all-around titles in the same season) in 1983.
Cooper qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 20 times, and he made 13 trips to the National Finals Steer Roping.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, and is "undoubtedly the greatest roper of his generation," according to his National Rodeo Hall of Fame entry. In 1987, he became the first to earn a million dollars from rodeo winnings.
Still to this day he is considered by many to be "The greatest of all time" when it comes to calf roping, according to Sports Illustrated.
Contributing: Former staff writer, Ed Godfrey
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Rodeo legend Roy Cooper, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Famer, dies at 69
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN's Greg McElroy calls Auburn a 'sleeper' ahead of the 2025 season
The preseason Associated Press poll for the 2025 season was released this week, and the Auburn Tigers were on the outside by receiving 10 votes. ESPN analyst and sports talk show host Greg McElroy shared his opinion of the poll following its release. During his spiel, McElroy included Auburn as a "sleeper" team for the top 25 by season's end. McElroy shared the same sentiments as ESPN's David Hale by pointing out that Auburn caught many unlucky breaks last season and does not expect the program to experience the misfortune of losing multiple one-score games during the upcoming season. 'It's just, there's no way (Auburn) can be as snakebit as they were last year," McElroy said during a recent episode of Always College Football. "The football gods won't allow, it's not likely. I guess it can happen, Nebraska fans are like 'We've been that way for awhile now, we've lost a lot of one-score games.' I get it, so I understand it can happen for sure.' One of the reasons why McElroy feels that Auburn's "receiving votes" status can change early on is thanks to their ability to revamp several position groups through the transfer portal. The defense held its own last season, but enhancements at wide receiver and offensive line could propel the Tigers to new heights under head coach Hugh Freeze. While McElroy respects Auburn and feels that they may be underrated heading into the new year, he is not ready to say that the Tigers are ready to contend for their first-ever College Football Playoff bid. 'So I look at Auburn and for them to be 5, 8, 11, 12 spots – so basically 37th in college football – to me is way too far (down),' McElroy said. 'I think Auburn has a chance to be a Top 25 team. I don't think they're a (College Football) Playoff team, but they have a chance to be a Top 25 team for sure. Especially with the pieces that've improved from last year to this year.' Auburn will get its first chance to make a statement on Friday, Aug. 29, when it faces Baylor on the road at 7 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__


USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
DeSean Bishop has 'grown tremendously' in pass protection ahead of 2025 season
Tennessee practiced for a tenth time during fall training camp on Tuesday. Redshirt sophomore DeSean Bishop enters his third season with the Vols in 2025. The 5-foot-10, 208-pound running back appeared in 10 contests during the 2024 campaign. Bishop totaled 455 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns on 74 attempts in 2024. He also recorded one reception for 10 yards in the Vols' season opener against Chattanooga. Following Tuesday's practice, running backs coach De'Rail Sims discussed Bishop's improvement during the offseason. 'I think he's taken a step in terms of leadership, number one,' Sims said. 'He's been a dynamic guy in the room, in terms of holding guys accountable. If somebody is not living up to the standard, he's the first one to get on them, and that's including all factors. 'I think from the pass protection standpoint, he's taken the next step too. From a physicality standpoint, an eye discipline standpoint, he's done a really good job. Running the ball is natural to him, I mean, you're talking about a guy that was highly productive in high school and rushed for a ton of yards, so that came natural. The pass protection piece of it, he's grown tremendously in that and done a really good job this camp.' Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame has '26 commits Davis Jr., O'Brien on Rivals' 2025 preseason All-American team
Rivals 2025 Preseason High School Football Defense All-Americans ✅Read: Notre Dame's 2026 recruiting class has been in the news for a good portion of the offseason due to the high volume of top talent that the Fighting Irish were able to get committed. So the fact that ND was able to place two 2026 commits on Rivals' 2025 preseason high school All-American list comes as no surprise. Legacy recruit Thomas Davis Jr. is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound outside linebacker from Weddington (Matthews, NC) who was forever linked to Georgia, his father's alma mater, but Davis Jr. committed to ND three days after he visited the Fighting Irish during their 52-3 win over Florida State last fall. He recorded 92 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss last season. Joining Davis Jr. on Rivals' list is Joey O'Brien from La Salle College (Glenside, PA), who helped lead a defense that only gave up 127 points in 11 games last season. The top safety prospect thought he was going to be enrolling at Oregon until he visited South Bend and fell in love with the atmosphere. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder is dangerous playing offense as well, as he caught 68 passes for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave