University of North Texas Athletics

Jim Cooper was one of the earliest All-America players in North Texas history. In 1946, Cooper was an honorable-mention Little All-America, the anchor of the offensive line that captured the Lone Star Conference title and played in the first bowl game in school history.

North Texas won the Optimist Bowl in 1946 with a 14-13 victory over Pacific. The next season, Cooper and North Texas posted the most wins in school history with 10 and played in the Salad Bowl on New Year's Day.

In his two seasons with the Mean Green, Cooper was a two-time first-team all-conference player in 1946 and 1947. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the eighth round in 1948 but eventually played professionally with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-American Football Conference.

Following his playing career, Cooper coached high school football in Texas and Alaska. In 2010, the Jim Cooper Memorial Coaching Scholarship in the College of Education at the University of North Texas was established to aid graduate assistant coaches.