 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-09-29)September 29, 1926 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 5, 1984(1984-02-05) (aged 57) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Westinghouse(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1950: 2nd round, 13th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Boston Celtics |
| Playing career | 1950–1956 |
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| Number | 11, 15, 6 |
| Career history | |
| 1950–1954 | Boston Celtics |
| 1954–1956 | Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 2,725 (6.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,431 (5.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 734 (1.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Charles Henry Cooper (September 29, 1926 – February 5, 1984) was an American professionalbasketball player. Cooper playedcollege basketball for theDuquesne Dukes and was named a consensus second-teamAll-American in 1950. According to the November 18, 1950 issue of theAfro-American newspaper, he was the first Black "basketer" [sic] to be named an All-American college athlete. Cooper was the first African-American to bedrafted by aNational Basketball Association (NBA) team; he was chosen by theBoston Celtics with the first pick of the second round of the1950 NBA Draft.[1] Cooper and two others—Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton andEarl Lloyd—became thefirst African-American players in the NBA, in 1950.[1] In a six-season NBA career, Cooper played for the Celtics, theMilwaukee/St. Louis Hawks, and theFort Wayne Pistons, averaging 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Cooper was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2019.[2]
Cooper was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Daniel and Emma Cooper.[3] Daniel was a mailman, and Emma was a school teacher.[citation needed] He attended Pittsburgh'sWestinghouse High School and graduated in 1944.[4] For his senior year, he averaged more than 13 points per game and was an All-City first-team center.[citation needed] He then attended and played a semester of basketball forWest Virginia State College (University since 2004) before being drafted to serve in theUnited States Navy in the final stages ofWorld War II.[3]
Following his service, he enrolled atDuquesne University where he was an All-American, started all four years, and set the school record for total points with 990 in four seasons.[citation needed] During his time at Duquesne, the team had a 78–19 record and was invited to the then-prestigiousNational Invitation Tournament twice. He was a captain for the 1949–50 team, which was the first team from the university to be nationally ranked all season, finishing with a 23–6 record and ranked sixth nationally.[5]
Coming out of college in 1950, Cooper signed with theHarlem Globetrotters. On April 25, 1950, he became the first African American drafted into the NBA when the Boston Celtics chose him with the 13th overall pick.[6] Cooper was drafted by Celtics' ownerWalter A. Brown, coached by the legendaryRed Auerbach and a teammate of the great Bob Cousy. When officials from other teams learned of Boston's interest in Cooper, they suggested he should not be drafted because he was black; however, Brown's famous quote was: "I don't give a damn if he's striped, plaid or polka dot. Boston takes Charles Cooper of Duquesne." Cooper made his NBA debut on November 1, 1950, against the Fort Wayne Pistons.[4]
Cooper played four years with the Celtics,[3] then was traded to theMilwaukee Hawks before ending his career as a member of theFt. Wayne Pistons. After that, he spent a year playing for theHarlem Magicians,[citation needed] before injuring his back in a car crash and leaving basketball. During his NBA career, Cooper played a total of 409 games, scored 2,725 points for an average of 6.66 points per game, had 2,431 rebounds for an average of 5.9 per game, and had 733 assists for an average of 1.79 per game. As some statistics were not kept during that time, it is not known how many blocked shots, steals, or turnovers he had during his career.
After his NBA career, Cooper graduated with aMaster of Social Work from theUniversity of Minnesota in 1960. He was married twice; first in 1951, and then in 1957 to Irva Lee (with whom he had four children).[citation needed] He worked to improve his hometown of Pittsburgh, serving on the Pittsburgh school board, and was appointed the director of parks and recreation for the city, becoming the first Black department head. He also helped thePittsburgh National Bank's affirmative action program as an urban affairs officer[7] until he died in Pittsburgh at the age of 57 on February 5, 1984,[3] of liver cancer at Forbes Hospice.[8]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–51 | Boston | 66 | – | .344 | .753 | 8.5 | 2.6 | 9.3 |
| 1951–52 | Boston | 66 | 29.9 | .361 | .741 | 7.6 | 2.0 | 8.2 |
| 1952–53 | Boston | 70 | 28.5 | .337 | .758 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 6.5 |
| 1953–54 | Boston | 70 | 15.7 | .299 | .672 | 4.3 | 1.1 | 3.3 |
| 1954–55 | Milwaukee | 70 | 25.0 | .339 | .751 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 8.2 |
| 1955–56 | St. Louis | 35 | 16.4 | .337 | .738 | 3.9 | 1.7 | 5.1 |
| 1955–56 | Fort Wayne | 32 | 17.8 | .316 | .776 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 3.9 |
| Career | 409 | 23.2 | .339 | .743 | 5.9 | 1.8 | 6.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Boston | 2 | – | .339 | .400 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 |
| 1952 | Boston | 3 | 42.7 | .320 | .895 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 11.0 |
| 1953 | Boston | 6 | 32.5 | .396 | .815 | 6.5 | 2.3 | 10.0 |
| 1954 | Boston | 6 | 18.0 | .500 | .727 | 5.2 | 0.7 | 4.0 |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne | 9 | 6.6 | .192 | .667 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Career | 26 | 20.4 | .346 | .785 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 5.3 | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
