LSSU loses its beloved alumnus, coach and A.D.

By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information Director

Ronald "Bud" Cooper, the man who proudly carried Lake Superior State's banner for a lifetime, passed away Nov. 29 after a long battle with cancer.

Cooper, a former student-athlete, coach and director of athletics, was LSSU's most well-known, steadfast, approachable, beloved figure from the time the school opened its doors in 1946. As his role with the University ebbed and flowed, his loyalty never waivered. He left behind a legacy of commitment and excellence that his successors will forever strive to reach.

Even while battling poor health during the past decade, Cooper's influence was prudent and positive. He continued to head the LSSU Athletics Hall of Fame Steering Committee, serve as a charter member of the LSSU Alumni Association, help with the Bud Cooper Golf Classic, maintain contacts with alumni, and offer words of advice to current athletes and coaches. He spoke at LSSU Hall of Fame events in July and October, and attended LSSU hockey and basketball practices until shortly before his death. Cooper's stories and anecdotes were the highlight of sports banquets for decades, and his eyes sparkled when he lined up for photos with student-athletes.

"He was near and dear to my heart and somebody I looked up to with great admiration and respect," said LSSU third-year men's basketball coach Steve Hettinga. "I enjoyed our talks. I'm sure I will miss him more as the days go by and don't see him sitting in the front row across the gym."

Hettinga's first conversation with Cooper was a light-hearted grilling during a press conference when he was hired in August, 2007. Hettinga quickly ascertained that he was answering to a legend.

"I can only image how people who knew him for a lifetime and the community feel the loss," Hettinga said. "The spirit he had, even up to the last week I saw him -- it was never about him, but something bigger than himself. He was always asking about us. I will miss our talks after games and his talks with the team. Our future teams won't get a chance to know him...Our guys took it hard. (Sunday) night was a tough practice, but we will celebrate his life too. Living up to his expectations is my lasting thought. He did things the right way when he was a coach and A.D. here, and I think that's why people liked him so much."

Laker hockey coach Jim Roque ('87) was a student-athlete at LSSU when Cooper stepped down from his 30-year stint as director of athletics. Today, Roque coaches Cooper's grandsons, Brad and Brian.

"He's the guy who started hockey here, and he had to battle to get it," Roque said. "The vision he had to think it would be a really good thing to add hockey here was extraordinary."

Back in the mid 1960s, when LSSU evolved from a two-year college to a four-year institution, Cooper shared his vision with then president Kenneth J. Shouldice and the Lakers' first head coach, Ron Mason.

"I met Bud for the first time in 1966, of course, when I was applying for the hockey coaching position at Lake Superior," said Mason, who recently retired as director of athletics at Michigan State University. "We became instant friends, and that continued forever."

Mason coached the Lakers from 1966-73 and had four 20-win seasons. He went on to have a legendary career at MSU and is the NCAA record holder in career wins with 924. He recalled LSSU's early days, when there was pressure to rally support within Sault Ste. Marie's hockey community -- and win.

"I've never seen a guy who hated to lose as much as him," Mason said. "He said I was worse than he was, but that wasn't true. He built the reputation for doing things the right way and winning while doing it. If we hadn't won, I don't think we would have survived during the early stages. It was that town-and-gown effect. We overcame all that, then got the complete support of everybody."

Conversations between Mason and Cooper switched from hockey to fund-raising and budget matters when Mason became MSU's director of athletics in 2002. While Michigan State may be 21 times the size of LSSU, the A.D.s share common challenges.

"He's more than just Bud Cooper," Mason added. "He's an institution with respect to what he's done for so many people and for Lake Superior. He did more with little than anyone I've ever known. I remember that so well."

Mason last saw Cooper in July when they attended Jeff Jackson's induction into the LSSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

"He had a great sense of humor and was a great storyteller," Mason said. "He loved to have a good time. All the stories you've heard about him are probably true...The last time I saw him was at the golf outing (in July), and I'm really glad now that I was there. He was still himself, and that's how I will remember him."

Two other former Laker athletes went on to be coaches and directors of athletic directors.

"It's hard to put into words what Bud Cooper meant to Lake Superior State University and the athletics program," said Kris Dunbar ('92), who has been director of athletics since 2006 following a successful eight-year stint as women's basketball coach. "He was a coach, mentor and friend that made a difference in many people's lives. I only hope that I can carry on the tradition that he started at LSSU. The athletics program at Lake Superior State will be forever indebted to Mr. Cooper's dedication and vision."

"To say Bud was a mentor would be the biggest of understatements," said Jim Fallis ('74), a former Laker All-America wrestler, championship coach and director of athletics who is currently the A.D. at Northern Arizona University. "He saw something in me professionally much sooner than I saw it in myself and for that I will forever be grateful. I have many fond memories of Bud and how he helped a young and inexperienced coach mature, and the faith he placed in me to handle administrative responsibilities. I am thankful for the time under his tutelage because I make decisions every week which I can relate back to experiences I had with Bud. He will always be THE cornerstone of Lake Superior State athletics, and those of us who knew him are truly blessed. I will miss him, but will forever be thankful that I saw and experienced that soft spot in his heart he had for young people."

Cooper also helped former Laker men's basketball coach Bob Eldridge make the bold leap into the college coaching arena.

"I will forever be grateful in that Bud Cooper took a chance on a high school coach and gave him an opportunity to coach college basketball at a wonderful institution like Lake State," said Eldridge, who coached the Lakers from 1982-89. "He was a mentor and a dear friend to me and my family...He was a caring person who accepted you for who you are. As an A.D., he expected hard work, honesty and integrity from his coaches, and in return he gave his undying loyalty and support. And I will always remember that smile and laugh."

Former Laker hockey player Rick Comley ('71) got his start in coaching with Cooper's guidance. Comley is currently the Spartans' head coach and ranked sixth in all-time NCAA hockey victories.

"Bud Cooper was as instrumental in my career as anyone, and I will forever thank him for his guidance as an impressionable athlete and a young coach," Comley said. "His passion for Lake Superior and his dedication to its success left a great impression on me that I have carried forward with me to this day. The noon-hour tennis matches and volleyball games, where losing was unacceptable, still bring a smile to my face. Lake Superior and the Soo are better places because of Bud. My best wishes to his family and we will all miss him."

After graduating from Sault Area High School, Cooper played football and basketball at Soo Tech in 1948 and '49, then transferred to Central Michigan University, where he competed in football, basketball and baseball and earned a degree in physical education. He coached at the high school level before returning to Soo Tech in 1954. He was 100-32 during six seasons as the Hornets'/Lakers' men's basketball coach. He took over as director of athletics in 1957, and also coached tennis, golf and bowling during his administrative tenure.

Cooper was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and the LSSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. The Norris Center gymnasium was named in his honor in 2000, as was the annual golf tournament that raises funds for LSSU women's athletics. He officially retired from LSSU in 1986.