John Cooper
John Cooper went 192–84–6 as a head coach, 1977–2000, at Tulsa, Arizona State and Ohio State. Share
- Record
- 192–84–6 career
- Seasons
- 24
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 4 seasons
- Hall of Fame
- 2008 inducted
- Best season
- 1996 11–1, No. 2
Season by season
3
9
6
8
6
10
8
6
8
410
207
4
248
7
8
188
1110
149
611
211
1210
211
6
8
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Tulsa | 3–8 | T–4th | |||
| 1978 | Tulsa | 9–2 | 2nd | |||
| 1979 | Tulsa | 6–5 | ||||
| 1980 | Tulsa | 8–3 | 1st | |||
| 1981 | Tulsa | 6–5 | T–1st | |||
| 1982 | Tulsa | 10–1 | 1st | |||
| 1983 | Tulsa | 8–3 | 1st | |||
| 1984 | Tulsa | 6–5 | 1st | |||
| 1985 | Arizona State | 8–4 | T–2nd | Holiday Bowl L | ||
| 1986 | Arizona State | 10–1–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 4 | |
| 1987 | Arizona State | 7–4–1 | 6th | Freedom Bowl W | 20 | |
| 1988 | Ohio State | 4–6–1 | T–7th | |||
| 1989 | Ohio State | 8–4 | T–3rd | Hall of Fame Bowl L | 24 | |
| 1990 | Ohio State | 7–4–1 | 5th | Liberty Bowl L | ||
| 1991 | Ohio State | 8–4 | T–3rd | Hall of Fame Bowl L | ||
| 1992 | Ohio State | 8–3–1 | 2nd | Citrus Bowl L | 18 | |
| 1993 | Ohio State | 10–1–1 | T–1st | Holiday Bowl W | 11 | |
| 1994 | Ohio State | 9–4 | 2nd | Citrus Bowl L | 14 | |
| 1995 | Ohio State | 11–2 | 2nd | Citrus Bowl L | 6 | |
| 1996 | Ohio State | 11–1 | T–1st | Rose Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1997 | Ohio State | 10–3 | T–2nd | Sugar Bowl L | 12 | |
| 1998 | Ohio State | 11–1 | T–1st | Sugar Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1999 | Ohio State | 6–6 | T–8th | |||
| 2000 | Ohio State | 8–4 | 4th | Outback Bowl L |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Terry Glenn1995 Biletnikoff Award- Andy Katzenmoyer1997 Butkus Award
- Dan WilkinsonNo. 1 pick, 1994
- Korey StringerConsensus All‑American, 1994
Randall McDanielConsensus All‑American, 1987- David FulcherConsensus All‑American, 1985
- Danny VillaConsensus All‑American, 1986
- David BostonNo. 8 pick, 1999
- Rickey DudleyNo. 9 pick, 1996
- Ryan PickettNo. 29 pick, 2001
- Nate ClementsNo. 21 pick, 2001
- Aaron CoxNo. 20 pick, 1988
6 more
Alonzo Spellman (No. 22 pick, 1992); Vinnie Clark (No. 19 pick, 1991); Ahmed Plummer (No. 24 pick, 2000); Craig Powell (No. 30 pick, 1995); Robert Smith (No. 21 pick, 1993); Bobby Hoying (1995 William V. Campbell Trophy).
18 of the 24 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 81 | 35–43–3 | 45% |
| Against top-10 teams | 31 | 10–20–1 | 34% |
| Against rivals | 44 | 16–26–2 | 39% |
| Conference games | 162 | 115–41–6 | 73% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 14 | 5–9 | 36% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 86 | 46–34–6 | 57% |
| At home | 143 | 115–26–2 | 81% |
| On the road | 121 | 69–48–4 | 59% |
| At neutral sites | 18 | 8–10 | 44% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 209 | 169–37–3 | 82% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 73 | 23–47–3 | 34% |
His own 282 games on file, 1977–2000, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Holtz 1977–2000 | 2–8 | Arkansas, Notre Dame, South Carolina | 10 | |
| Bill Mallory 1988–1996 | 7–1–1 | Indiana | 9 | |
| Hayden Fry 1988–1998 | 7–1–1 | Iowa | 9 | |
| Barry Alvarez 1990–2000 | 6–2–1 | Wisconsin | 9 | |
| Joe Paterno 1993–2000 | 5–3 | Penn State | 8 | |
| George Perles 1985–1994 | 5–2 | Michigan State | 7 | |
| Larry Smith 1985–1998 | 2–4 | Arizona, USC, Missouri | 6 | |
| Lloyd Carr 1995–2000 | 1–5 | Michigan | 6 | |
| Chuck Shelton 1977–1983 | 5–0 | Drake | 5 | |
| Gary Barnett 1992–1998 | 5–0 | Northwestern | 5 |
John Cooper’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Illinoisseries | 14 | 7–7 |
| Michiganseries | 14 | 3–10–1 |
| Minnesotaseries | 11 | 10–1 |
| Indianaseries | 11 | 9–1–1 |
| Iowaseries | 11 | 9–1–1 |
| Wisconsinseries | 11 | 8–2–1 |
| Michigan Stateseries | 11 | 7–4 |
| Purdueseries | 9 | 7–2 |
Other roles
- Team captain, Iowa State 1961
From each season’s Wikipedia article.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Iowa State | Freshman coach | |
| 1963–64 | Oregon State | Assistant coach | |
| 1965–66 | UCLA | Assistant coach | |
| 1967–71 | Kansas | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1972–76 | Kentucky | Assistant coach | |
| 1977–84 | Tulsa | Head coach | |
| 1985–87 | Arizona State | Head coach | |
| 1988–2000 | Ohio State | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Clay StapletonIowa State
- Tommy ProthroOregon State, UCLA
- Pepper RodgersKansas
- Don FambroughKansas
- John RayKentucky
- Fran CurciKentucky
John Cooper
Assistants who became head coaches
- Larry MarmieArizona State
- Larry CokerMiami, UTSA
- Mike KnollNew Mexico State, Upper Iowa
- Joe HollisArkansas State, Jacksonville State
- Chris ThurmondHouston
- Lovie SmithIllinois, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans
- Steve LoganEast Carolina, Hutchinson
- Ronnie JonesOttawa (KS), West Texas A&M, Northwestern Oklahoma State
- Todd BerryArmy, UL Monroe, Illinois State
- Dino BabersBowling Green, Syracuse, Eastern Illinois
- Jim CollettoCal State Fullerton, Purdue
- Gary BlackneyBowling Green
- and 11 more
Worked under (6)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Stapleton | Iowa State | 1962 | Freshman coach | |
| Tommy Prothro | Oregon State | 1963–64 | Assistant coach | |
| Tommy Prothro | UCLA | 1965–66 | Assistant coach | |
| Pepper Rodgers | Kansas | 1967–70 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Don Fambrough | Kansas | 1971 | Defensive coordinator | |
| John Ray | Kentucky | 1972 | Assistant coach | |
| Fran Curci | Kentucky | 1973–76 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (23)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Marmie | Tulsa, 1977–78: assistant coach; Arizona State, 1985–87: defensive coordinator | Arizona State | |
| Larry Coker | Tulsa, 1979: running backs and quarterbacks coach; 1980–82: offensive coordinator; Ohio State, 1993–94: defensive backs coach | Miami, UTSA | |
| Mike Knoll | Tulsa, 1979: defensive line coach; 1980–82: defensive coordinator | New Mexico State, Upper Iowa | |
| Joe Hollis | Tulsa, 1980: tight ends and offensive tackles coach; 1981–82: offensive line coach; 1983: offensive coordinator; Ohio State, 1991: offensive line coach; 1992–96: offensive coordinator | Arkansas State, Jacksonville State | |
| Chris Thurmond | Tulsa, 1983–84: defensive backs coach | Houston | |
| Lovie Smith | Tulsa, 1983–84: linebackers coach; Ohio State, 1995: defensive backs coach | Illinois, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans | |
| Steve Logan | Tulsa, 1983: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach; 1984: offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach | East Carolina, Hutchinson | |
| Ronnie Jones | Tulsa, 1984: strength and conditioning coach; Arizona State, 1985–86: strength and conditioning coach | Ottawa (KS), West Texas A&M, Northwestern Oklahoma State | |
| Todd Berry | Tulsa, 1984: wide receivers coach | Army, UL Monroe, Illinois State | |
| Dino Babers | Arizona State, 1985: graduate assistant | Bowling Green, Syracuse, Eastern Illinois | |
| Jim Colletto | Arizona State, 1985–87: offensive coordinator; Ohio State, 1988–90: offensive coordinator | Cal State Fullerton, Purdue | |
| Gary Blackney | Ohio State, 1988–90: inside linebackers coach | Bowling Green | |
| Ron Zook | Ohio State, 1988–90: defensive backs coach | Florida, Illinois | |
| Elliot Uzelac | Ohio State, 1991: offensive coordinator | Western Michigan, Navy | |
| Paul Rhoads | Ohio State, 1991: graduate assistant | Iowa State | |
| Lee Owens | Ohio State, 1992–94: tight ends and offensive tackles coach | Akron, Ashland | |
| Mike Stock | Ohio State, 1992–94: wide receivers coach | Eastern Michigan | |
| Chuck Stobart | Ohio State, 1995–99: wide receivers coach; 2000: offensive coordinator | Toledo, Utah, Memphis | |
| Walt Harris | Ohio State, 1995–96: quarterbacks coach | Pacific, Pittsburgh, Stanford | |
| Jim Heacock | Ohio State, 1996–2000: defensive line coach | Illinois State | |
| Jon Tenuta | Ohio State, 1996–99: defensive backs coach; 2000: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | Georgia Tech | |
| Mike Jacobs | Ohio State, 1997–99: offensive coordinator | Toledo | |
| Luke Fickell | Ohio State, 1999: graduate assistant | Ohio State, Cincinnati, Wisconsin |
Other assistants under him (9)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Young | Tulsa, 1980–82: defensive line coach; 1983–84: defensive coordinator and defensive line coach; Arizona State, 1985–87: defensive line coach; Ohio State, 1988–95: defensive coordinator | |
| Pat Henderson | Tulsa, 1983–84: linebackers coach; Arizona State, 1985–87: defensive backs coach | |
| Dennis Brown | Arizona State, 1987: defensive coordinator | |
| Fred Pagac | Ohio State, 1988–95: linebackers coach; 1996–99: defensive coordinator; 2000: assistant head coach | |
| Rob Ryan | Ohio State, 1988: graduate assistant | |
| Ron Hudson | Ohio State, 1988: running backs coach; 1989–94: quarterbacks coach | |
| Bobby Turner | Ohio State, 1989–90: running backs coach | |
| Larry Coyer | Ohio State, 1991–92: defensive backs coach | |
| Greg Studrawa | Ohio State, 1997: graduate assistant |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.