Don Cooper

Donald James Cooper

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School New York Institute of Technology
• High School Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School
• Debut April 9, 1981
• Final Game June 2, 1985
• Born January 15, 1957 in New York, NY USA

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Biographical Information

"I love being part of young people’s lives helping them achieve the dreams they’re dreaming about. That’s what I’m into." - Don Cooper, to the Chicago Sun-Times, 2018

Pitcher Don Cooper was selected by the New York Yankees in the 17th round of the 1978 amateur draft, made his pro debut that year, and promptly threw a no-hitter for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees on August 7th. Following the 1980 season, he was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the 1980 Rule V Draft. He made his big league debut in 1981 and spent part of two seasons with the Twins, primarily as a reliever. While with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1982, he led the International League with 125 strikeouts. After the 1982 season, Cooper was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He was an IL All-Star with the Syracuse Chiefs in 1983 and earned another cup of coffee in the majors. The next spring, he was sent to the New York Yankees, pitching in his final big league game on June 2, 1985. Overall, he was 1-6 with a 5.27 ERA in 44 big league games and 65-47 with a 3.46 ERA and 64 saves in 289 appearances in the minors. In 1989, Cooper played for the St. Lucie Legends of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. The next year, he pitched for the Fort Myers Sun Sox; in 8 games, Don was 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA and was tied for the league lead with 4 saves when the SPBA folded.

After his playing career, he became a pitching coach within the Chicago White Sox organization, making stops with the the South Bend White Sox (1988), Sarasota White Sox (1989-1991), and Birmingham Barons (1992). He was the White Sox pitching coordinator in 1993 and 1994. The 1995 season proved to be quite eventful. Cooper started the year as pitching coach of the Nashville Sounds before a promotion to the major league staff on June 2nd. White Sox pitchers didn't show improvement under Cooper's tutelage and he was sacked on August 11th. Cooper spent the remainder of 1995 as a minor league pitching instructor. He was the pitching coach at Nashville in 1996 and the White Sox' pitching coordinator again from 1997 until July 22, 2002 when he received a second promotion to the major league coaching staff.

Since 2002, Don has been the White Sox pitching coach. With two games to go in the 2011 season, he took over for Ozzie Guillen as interim manager; bench coach Joey Cora had been expected to get the assignment, but was instead let go among speculation that he would follow Guillen to the Miami Marlins in 2012. Cooper returned as pitching coach under new manager Robin Ventura in 2012 and acted again as an interim manager on June 7, 2013 when Ventura took a day off to attend his daughter's high school graduation. Cooper got the nod as bench coach Mark Parent also took the day off for the same reason (his son was the one graduating). The Sox lost the game, 4-3, to the Oakland Athletics. He continued as pitching coach after Ventura's departure, working with Rick Renteria and saw the White Sox return to the postseason in the shortened 2020 season, but a few days later, on October 12th, he was dismissed at the same time as Renteria over differences with the team's front office.

In the 1990s, Cooper also coached and managed in the Venezuelan League for the Caribes de Oriente, though most of the details are uncertain. He may have started the 1991/1992 season as the team's pitching coach. On November 26th Cooper was named the team's manager for the remainder of the season. From 1992/1993 to 1994/1995 he may have served as either as pitching coach or manager for the Indians, but this information could not be verified via English language sources.

Preceded by Ozzie Guillen

Chicago White Sox Manager 2011

Succeeded by Robin Ventura

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
2011	Chicago White Sox	American League	1-1	3rd	Chicago White Sox		replaced Ozzie Guillen (78-82) on September 27

Related Sites

• Don Cooper at the SABR Bio Project