Ted Cooper

Born in 1945 in Ottawa, Edward “Ted” Cooper made this community his home, and with his wife Betty, also a “Hall of Famer”, raised two children Keith and Didi.As a local teacher, Ted touched the lives of countless area youth, not only in the classroom but also in sports. Although Ted coached many sports including cross country running and track, his primary sport was basketball where he coached at the Junior High, High School and Club levels both regionally and provincially. He was on the executive governing body of the Eastern Ontario Basketball Association and coached at basketball camps in Kemptville, Prescott, and Potsdam. As well, he was one of the founding members of the Kemptville Warriors Girls Basketball Program and coached in the program from its onset in 1993 through to his passing in 2012.

At the school level, Ted led many teams to Leeds-Grenville and Eastern Ontario championships. He received many honours for his dedication including “Upper Canada District School Board Coach of the Year” and posthumously the “Ted Cooper South Branch Elementary Sportsmanship Award”.

Ted was an excellent coach and teacher, showing his athletes not only on the court but in their lives that they could achieve goals that they thought were beyond them. If they needed rides to the gym, a little extra cash or one-on-one counselling, Ted was always there. He was also always encouraging former athletes to give back to the community by becoming coaches themselves. He never failed to mentor them as they “paid it forward”.

His lifelong dedication to his sport and to his community remains an inspiration to us all for many years to come.