Bulldog Hall of Famer Donald Cooper is in his first season as the Head M&W Cross Country|Track & Field Coach at South Carolina State University.
Cooper returned to South Carolina State after spending 11 seasons as Director of Cross Country/ Track & Field at Bethune-Cookman, where he consistently fielded teams that competed for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships and individuals who performed at the highest levels on the national stage.
Initially hired as interim head coach in late September of 2009, Cooper quickly proved to be the strong leader the Wildcats needed, ascending to the full-time role the next season. He went on to guide the B-CU program through numerous milestones in each year since.
During his tenure at Bethune-Cookman, Cooper's teams won a combined five MEAC championships – three indoor and two indoor --- while eight individuals and two Wildcat relay teams represented the former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member at the NCAA National Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Cooper's men's teams reeled off five consecutive MEAC championships from 2014-2016, with two of those titles coming via a razor-thin, one-point margin over former MEAC foe North Carolina A&T.
On the women's side, the BC-U Lady Wildcats has had a representative at the NCAAs each of the past six years, while finishing in the top three in the MEAC at seven of the last ten conference meets.
Prior to serving two seasons as the assistant head coach for cross country/track & field at SC State, Cooper served as the assistant head coach and wellness coordinator at Savannah State. He also spent two seasons as the assistant head coach at Fort Valley State University and Morris Brown College in 2000.
Aside from intercollegiate coaching, Cooper has trained professional athletes in the National Football League (NFL), in addition to working with the National Youth Sports Program. He has done extensive work as a coach and guide-runner with the USA Paralympic Team, training blind and visually impaired athletes for the Paralympics Games.
A former MEAC standout, Cooper shined in both football and track & field at South Carolina State as a student-athlete. In track, he was an All-MEAC performer and conference champion in the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles, and 60m hurdles.
Cooper was named the MEAC Outstanding Outdoor Track Athlete in 1994. He was also an NCAA and Olympic Trials Qualifier in the 110m hurdles (1996). In football, he was named team MVP and played in the Walter Reed All-Star Game (1997). In the same year, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. He was inducted into the SCSU Hall of Fame in 2010.
Cooper received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology in 1997, and his master's in Rehabilitation Counseling/Orientation & Mobility in 1999, both from South Carolina State.
He holds several certifications, including USATF Certified Official and USATF Level II Certified Coach in combined events, sprints/hurdles, throws and jumps. He is also a USATF Level I Instructor. He is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
A Swainsboro, Ga. Native, Cooper and his wife, Linnell, have four children: Lindon, Jourdon, Sydney and Kaysey.
