AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
John Thomas Cooper
Known as
Jack Cooper
Born
21 February 1889
Place of birth
Fitzroy North, VIC (3068)
Died
20 September 1917 (aged 28)
Place of death
France (Polygon Wood)
Occupation
Storeman
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 65d
Last game: 26y 202d
Height and weight
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 78 kg
Senior clubs
Fitzroy
Jumper numbers
Fitzroy: 5
State of origin
VIC
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fitzroy | V/AFL | 1907-1915 | 136 | 8 | 0.06 | 57% | — | — | — | 0 |
Total | 1907-1915 | 136 | 8 | 0.06 | 57% | — | — | — | 0 |
AFL: 1,237th player to appear, 1,580th most games played, 5,367th most goals kickedFitzroy: 116th player to appear, 52nd most games played, 379th most goals kicked
A vigorous and extremely determined defender who always gave 100%, Jack Cooper was a stalwart with Fitzroy for nine seasons, during which time he played 136 VFL games and kicked eight goals. The highlight of his career was probably the 1913 Challenge Final against St Kilda, a match which the Roys won by 13 points, with Cooper best afield. A close second to this, however, would be his captaincy of the VFL in an interstate encounter with South Australia the previous year, a match the Vics won
Jack Cooper left the game at the end of the 1915 season when he enlisted in the armed services. Tragically, he was later killed in action in France.
Author - John Devaney