Cecil Cooper
A sweet-swinging first baseman whose clutch hitting powered the Milwaukee Brewers to their only World Series appearance.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: December 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
In 1982, Cecil Cooper delivered a walk-off single that sent the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series. That hit capped a season where he led the American League with 121 runs batted in, his second RBI title. A left-handed hitter with a compact stroke, Cooper broke into the majors with the Boston Red Sox in 1971 and played in the 1975 World Series before being traded to Milwaukee in 1977. There he joined Robin Yount and Paul Molitor in a lineup that drove the Brewers to sustained success. Cooper drove in over 100 runs four times, twice leading the league in RBIs. His presence was steady and professional, balancing a team known for its swagger. After retiring as a player in 1987, Cooper returned to manage the Brewers from 2003 to 2008, completing a full-circle journey with the franchise he helped define.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cecil was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cecil Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Cecil's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Drove in the winning run in Game 5 of the 1982 ALCS, clinching the American League pennant for the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Won the American League RBI crown in 1980 and 1983.
- Was selected to five American League All-Star teams as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Recorded over 2,000 career hits and finished with a lifetime batting average of .298.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 1968 draft.
His nickname was 'Coop'.
After his playing career, he worked as a sports agent before returning to baseball as a coach and manager.
He managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2007 to 2008.
“A good swing is simple; you see the ball and you hit it.”
