Al Cooper was one of the brightest of pro basketball’s early stars. A handsome and charismatic player, Cooper was a major gate attraction in the early years of the National League. Cooper’s first love in sports was soccer. His father, who had emigrated from England, had introduced his son to the game. Cooper, a crack striker, achieved his first accolades as an athlete on the soccer pitch. His interest in basketball was sparked by his older brother Fred, who was a major figure in the growth of the game in Trenton, New Jersey. Cooper was a graceful and stylish athlete who quickly adapted to basketball. The sense of teamwork and passing he had developed in soccer proved useful in his early exposure to the court game. Within a single season, Cooper had honed his skills to a level that exceeded any other player in the Trenton area. When the first professional league began play in the fall of 1898, it was quickly apparent that Cooper was the best player in the league. He led the National League in scoring in 1898-99, finished second in 1899-00 and then took first again in 1900-01. His Trenton team won the first two NBL titles in 1898-99 and 1899-00. Cooper’s career went into eclipse when the NBL folded during the 1903-04 season, He remained in Trenton while most of the era’s top players migrated to high-paying jobs with teams in Massachusetts and western Pennsylvania. Cooper’s career was rejuvenated in 1909 when Trenton joined the newly formed Eastern Basketball League. He was less of a scoring threat later in his career, but was still an important member of the 1909-10 and 1911-12 EBL championship teams. He later coached the team for three seasons.
| AL COOPER |
Height: |
5:11 |
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Weight: |
160 |
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College: |
None |
| Albert Cooper |
Born: Oct 1, 1978 |
Died: Sep 9, 1960 |
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Hometown: |
Trenton, NJ |
| Brother of Fred Cooper |
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| Father of Al Cooper Jr. |
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REGULAR SEASON RECORD |
|
| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
|
| 1897-98 |
Trenton Trentons |
Indep |
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| 1898-99 |
Trenton |
NBL |
16 |
47 |
47 |
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|
141 |
8.8 |
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| 1899-00 |
Trenton |
NBL |
23 |
69 |
75 |
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|
213 |
9.3 |
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| 1900-01 |
Trenton |
NBL |
27 |
63 |
164 |
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|
290 |
10.7 |
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| 1901-02 |
Trenton |
NBL |
30 |
54 |
136 |
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244 |
8.1 |
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| 1902-03 |
Trenton |
NBL |
34 |
75 |
346 |
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496 |
14.6 |
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| 1903-04 |
Trenton |
NBL |
11 |
28 |
91 |
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147 |
13.4 |
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| 1904-05 |
East Falls |
PBL |
9 |
21 |
87 |
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129 |
14.3 |
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| 1905-06 |
Trenton |
PBL |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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2 |
2.0 |
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| 1906-07 |
Trenton |
Indep |
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| 1907-08 |
Trenton |
Indep |
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| 1908-09 |
Trenton |
Indep |
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| 1909-10 |
Trenton |
EBL |
28 |
55 |
0 |
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110 |
3.9 |
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| 1910-11 |
Trenton |
EBL |
19 |
26 |
142 |
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194 |
10.2 |
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| 1911-12 |
Trenton |
EBL |
31 |
54 |
12 |
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120 |
3.9 |
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| 1912-13 |
Trenton |
EBL |
35 |
48 |
152 |
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12 |
248 |
7.1 |
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| 1913-14 |
Trenton |
EBL |
8 |
11 |
1 |
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1 |
23 |
2.9 |
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| 1914-15 |
Trenton |
EBL |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
1 |
4 |
0.7 |
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| 1915-16 |
Trenton |
Indep |
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| 1916-17 |
Trenton |
Indep |
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| 1917-18 |
Trenton |
Indep |
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Major League Totals |
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278 |
554 |
1253 |
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2361 |
8.5 |
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In the spring of 1919, Roger “Rody” Cooney was a short, thin, baby-faced seventeen year old student at St. Francis Prep High School in Brooklyn. Cooney was also an extraordinaryly talented athlete who led his school team to the New York City CSAL basketball championship. In the fall of 1919, Cooney returned to St. Francis Prep to complete his senior year, while simaltaeously signing up to play basketball with an array of Brooklyn professional teams. Within a month, Cooney had become a “school boy sensation” and a hugely popular figure in the tough world of pro basketball. The unusal situation went on until late December when the CSAL forced St. Joseph’s to drop Cooney from the high school team. While still a teenager, Cooney was soon recognized as one of the best players in the Greater New York City area – a position he would retain for over a dozen seasons.
Cooney was a mainstay of the famed Brooklyn Visitation Triangles for sixteen (1921-1936) seasons, While the Visitation never reached the mythic status of the Original Celtics, the team remained one of the top teams in pro basketball for over a dozen years. Cooney was a key performer on the squads that won Metropolitan League titles during 1923-24, 1924-25, 1926-27 and 1931-32 seasons. The Visitation also won the American Basketball League title in 1930-31. Cooney was never among the team’s leading scorers, but he was the vital cog that made the Visitation work. He was an excellent ball handler and playmaker. Despite weighing barely 140 pounds , Cooney was tough defender who consistently shut down many of the era’s best shooters. In 1932, while still active as a player, Cooney was hired to to coach St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he remained for nine seasons, compiling a 125-77 record.
| RODY COONEY |
Height: |
5:08 |
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Weight: |
140 |
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College: |
None |
| Roger Patrick Cooney |
Born: May 17, 1902 |
Died: Sep 29, 1965 |
Hometown: |
Brooklyn, NY |
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REGULAR SEASON RECORD |
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| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
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| 1919-20 |
Brooklyn Nonpareils |
Indep |
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| 1919-20 |
Brooklyn St.Mary’s Triangles |
Indep |
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| 1919-20 |
Brooklyn Chicoras Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1919-20 |
Brooklyn Atlantic Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1919-20 |
Brooklyn Robins Dry Dock Five |
Indep |
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| 1919-20 |
Brooklyn Somersets |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn Nonparells |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn St.Mary’s Triangles |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn Whirlwinds |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn Visitation Triangles |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn Immaculata |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn St. Stephen’s Crowns |
Indep |
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| 1920-21 |
Brooklyn Chapelle Caseys |
Indep |
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| 1921-22 |
Brooklyn Visitation Triangles |
MBL |
20 |
34 |
41 |
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109 |
5.5 |
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| 1921-22 |
Easthampton |
IL |
18 |
30 |
26 |
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86 |
4.8 |
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| 1921-22 |
Brooklyn St. Rose Club |
Indep |
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| 1922-23 |
Brooklyn Visitation Triangles |
MBL |
37 |
36 |
74 |
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146 |
3.9 |
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| 1922-23 |
Troy |
NYSL |
1 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
0.0 |
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| 1922-23 |
Springfield–Holyoke |
IL |
2 |
1 |
4 |
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6 |
3.0 |
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| 1922-23 |
Brooklyn Unique Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1922-23 |
Brooklyn Seniors |
Indep |
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| 1923-24 |
Brooklyn Visitation Triangles |
MBL |
33 |
44 |
51 |
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139 |
4.2 |
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| 1923-24 |
Glens Falls |
NYSL |
3 |
11 |
3 |
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25 |
8.3 |
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| 1923-24 |
Philadelphia SPHAS |
PBL |
1 |
0 |
3 |
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3 |
3.0 |
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| 1923-24 |
Richmond Hills Celtics |
Indep |
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| 1923-24 |
Brooklyn Edison Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1924-25 |
Brooklyn Visitation Triangles |
MBL |
17 |
31 |
61 |
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123 |
7.2 |
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| 1924-25 |
Brooklyn Edison Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1925-26 |
Washington–Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
23 |
32 |
47 |
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111 |
4.8 |
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| 1925-26 |
Brooklyn Edison Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1926-27 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
NLN |
24 |
53 |
55 |
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161 |
6.7 |
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| 1926-27 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
MBL |
10 |
21 |
24 |
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66 |
6.6 |
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| 1926-27 |
Brooklyn Edison Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1927-28 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
MBL |
12 |
29 |
28 |
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86 |
7.2 |
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| 1927-28 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
26 |
50 |
12 |
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112 |
4.3 |
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| 1927-28 |
Brooklyn Edison Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1928-29 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
25 |
39 |
14 |
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92 |
3.7 |
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| 1928-29 |
Brooklyn Edison Big Five |
Indep |
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| 1929-30 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
50 |
89 |
17 |
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195 |
3.9 |
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| 1930-31 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
28 |
51 |
7 |
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109 |
3.9 |
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| 1931-32 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
MBL |
14 |
32 |
9 |
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73 |
5.2 |
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| 1931-32 |
Brooklyn Americans |
Indep |
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| 1932-33 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
MBL |
20 |
31 |
9 |
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71 |
3.6 |
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| 1932-33 |
Dunmore |
PSL |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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2 |
2.0 |
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| 1933-34 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
27 |
35 |
12 |
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82 |
3.0 |
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| 1933-34 |
Pittston |
PSL |
3 |
6 |
6 |
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18 |
6.0 |
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| 1934-35 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
16 |
10 |
8 |
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28 |
1.8 |
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| 1935-36 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
10 |
1 |
2 |
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4 |
0.4 |
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|
Major League Totals |
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417 |
660 |
507 |
0 |
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1827 |
4.4 |
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PLAYOFF RECORD |
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| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
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| 1923-24 |
Glens Falls |
NYSL |
4 |
11 |
12 |
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34 |
8.5 |
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| 1925-26 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
3 |
5 |
13 |
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23 |
7.7 |
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| 1926-27 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
MBL |
2 |
2 |
5 |
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9 |
4.5 |
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| 1930-31 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
6 |
14 |
1 |
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29 |
4.8 |
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| 1935-36 |
Brooklyn Visitation |
ABL |
1 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
0.0 |
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Major League Totals |
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16 |
32 |
31 |
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|
95 |
5.9 |
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A high school football star in St.Louis, Jimmy Conzelman played football for the 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl In 1920, he was an All-Missouri Valley Conference quarterback for the Washington University. Conzelman spent ten seasons in the National Football League as a multi-faceted star halfback, quarterback and placekicker. As player-coach, he led the 1928 Providence Steamrollers to an NFL championship. From 1932 to 1939, Conzelman was the head football coach for the Washington University football team, leading the program to Missouri Valley Conference championships in 1934, 1935, and 1939. He served as head coach of the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals from 1940 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1948. He led the Cardinals to an NFL championship in 1947 and Western Division championships in 1947 and 1948. Conzelman is enshrined in the Football Hall in Canton, Ohio.
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| JIMMY CONZELMAN |
Height: |
6:00 |
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Weight: |
175 |
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College: |
Washington(Mo)’20 |
| James Gleason Conzelman |
Born: Mar 6, 1898 |
Died: Jul 31, 1970 |
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Hometown: |
St.Louis, Mo. |
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REGULAR SEASON RECORD |
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|
| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
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| 1916-17 |
Washington (Mo) (Frosh) |
College |
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| 1917-19 |
U.S. Navy |
Military Service |
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| 1919-20 |
Washington (Mo) |
College |
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| 1926-27 |
Detroit |
ABL |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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2 |
2.0 |
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Major League Totals |
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1 |
1 |
0 |
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2 |
2.0 |
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