For 11 years spanning the late 1970s until the late 1980s, Cecil Cooper was both a star and a hero for Milwaukee Brewers fans. Every time the Texas native came to the plate at Milwaukee County Stadium, Brewers fans serenaded Cooper with the call of ‘Cooooooooop,’ exhorting one of the best Brewers in Milwaukee’s history.
Cooper was a five-time All-Star, led the league in doubles and RBIs twice each, won three Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves, and finished in the top-five for MVP voting in the American League three times.
The smooth-swinging southpaw also had one of the most famous hits in Milwaukee Brewers history, with his line drive to left field against the California Angels in Game 5 of the 1982 ALCS that scored Charlie Moore and Jim Gantner to send the Brewers to the World Series for the first and only time in their history.