Harold Cooper (baseball)
Harold McKinley Cooper (February 14, 1923 – October 4, 2010)[citation needed] was an American politician and Minor League Baseball executive who served as president of the International League from 1978 to 1990. He is recognized as the father of modern baseball in Columbus, Ohio,[1] for twice helping return the game to the park that would subsequently be named Cooper Stadium in his honor.
Early life and the Red Birds
Cooper grew up in the Columbus neighborhood of
Military service and return to baseball
Cooper graduated from Central High School in 1940 and attended Ohio State University in 1941. He then served in the United States Coast Guard from 1942 to 1946.[4] After the war, he took a position in Columbus with the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (later known as Minor League Baseball) before heading to Hutchinson, Kansas, where he would be named The Sporting News Minor League Executive of the Year in 1950 while running the Western Association affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.[3]
Columbus Jets
Following the 1954 season, the Cardinals pulled out of Columbus, promoting their
Columbus Clippers
In 1977, Cooper persuaded his fellow commissioners to purchase and renovate the stadium, which was renamed Franklin County Stadium. The renamed Columbus Clippers returned from Charleston,[5] with the county taking the unique step of buying the affiliate itself from the Pittsburgh Pirates for $25,000.[3] The gamble paid off; as of 2016, Forbes valued the team at $41 million,[6] and the team made a profit for the county of $1.33 million in 2015.[7]
While still serving as a County Commissioner, Cooper became president of the International League in 1978, a post he held for 12 years.
References
- ^ a b "Columbus' Father Of Modern Baseball, Harold Cooper, Dies",WBNS-TV, Retrieved on September 2, 2017
- ^ Columbus Dispatch, Retrieved on September 2, 2017
- ^ a b c d e f "ILHOF Class of 2007",International League Hall of Fame, Retrieved on September 2, 2017
- ^ "Harold M. Cooper",legacy.com, Retrieved on September 2, 2017
- ^ Caddes, Gene (April 20, 1977). "Baseball in Columbus". The Bryan Times. Vol. 29, no. 95. UPI. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Minor League Baseball's Most Valuable Teams",Forbes, Retrieved on September 2, 2017
- ^ "Once bought for $25,000, the Columbus Clippers have become a $25 million asset for Franklin County"Columbus Business First, Retrieved on September 2, 2017
- ^ "Mobley to Head Triple-A Alliance". Scrantonian Tribune. Scranton, Pennsylvania. October 6, 1989. p. 16. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- Columbus Dispatch, Retrieved on September 2, 2017