Reuben Cooper

Reuben Cooper
Personal information
Date of birth (1951-08-14) 14 August 1951
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
1969 South Melbourne
Darwin		 2 (0)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
Northern Territory
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1986–87 Nightcliff

Reuben Cooper (born 14 August 1951) is a former Australian rules footballer. He is notable for playing for the South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL - now AFL).

Biography

Cooper was born into a footballing family. His grandfather, also named Reuben Cooper, was the first "coloured" player to play in the Darwin league. His father Ron and several other relatives played top level football in Darwin.[1]

Playing career

In 1968 Cooper moved to Melbourne to play for South Melbourne but was unable to play for the Swans immediately due to Northern Territory transfer rules. He spent the 1968 season playing suburban football in Melbourne.[2]

He made his league debut during the 1969 VFL season as a seventeen-year-old, becoming the first player from the Northern Territory to play in the VFL.[2][3]

After returning to Darwin, he played for Darwin Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL). He was best on ground in the Buffaloes' 1970/71 grand final-winning team.[4]

Coaching career

Cooper was coach of NTFL club Nightcliff for the 1986/87 season.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "History of the NTFL" (PDF). AFL Northern Territory. p. 5. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 Morris, Grey (9 May 2008). "First of NT's legion of stars". Northern Territory News.
  3. ↑ "Every South Melbourne/Sydney Swans Player". Sydney Swans. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "History of the NTFL" (PDF). AFL Northern Territory. p. 69. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "NFC History" (PDF). Nightcliff Football Club. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
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