In the next few days, Gordon Cooper will go on a reconnaissance mission in the hills around his home in Rifle to see if he can spot some elk.
He jokes that if he gets close enough to one of the creatures, he will put a rope around its neck and tie it to a tree so he will have an easy target when hunting season opens in the fall. In reality, he’s scouting territory that might make for good hunting grounds when the season opens.
Or he just might be taking advantage of the opportunity for a quiet day to enjoy the scenery. It partially was his liking of the mountains and the tranquil setting of a small town that brought him to Rifle in 1956.
“I like to hunt and fish, and Rifle was a good place to raise two boys,” Cooper said. “That’s why I stayed here all this time.”
Cooper has been doing a lot of hunting and fishing — and scouting for elk — since he retired from Rifle High School in 1987.
While working at the Western Slope school, Cooper was busy for 31 years. He coached football, baseball and track and field, and he started a wrestling program. He did about everything, including athletic director. He also was one of the town’s volunteer firefighters.
Many of his former students and athletes remain in the area, so Cooper still receives some hellos as he walks around town.
But most of his associates in Rifle probably don’t know much about their neighbor before he arrived 54 years ago. Cooper is a quiet man who never boasts.
The truth will come out when he is inducted into the University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 14 at DU’s Ritchie Center. Cooper will be honored as one of the greatest football players and athletes in DU history.
Cooper earned nine varsity letters from 1948-52 as a wide receiver in football, a shortstop in baseball and a javelin thrower in track and field. He was selected to the all- Skyline Conference football team three consecutive years. His career totals of 113 receptions for 1,577 yards and 18 touchdowns set school records.
“I guess those records never will be broken,” Cooper said with certainty.
DU ended its football program following the 1960 season, eight years after Cooper played his last game for the Pioneers. After attending DU, Cooper briefly played for the Detroit Lions. A knee injury ended his playing career.
“He really was a good target,” said Lou Rillos, one of the quarterbacks at DU when Cooper played for the Pioneers. “He was 6-foot-3, and that was a big advantage in that day and time.”
Hal Pfeiffer, another DU teammate, noted that Cooper wouldn’t tell anyone how good he was.
“He could run like a deer, and he could catch the football,” Pfeiffer said. “He was successful early in his career in the pros until he was injured. On a scale of 10, I’d say he was a 10.”
Cooper’s fondest memories of his time at Rifle High School center on starting a wrestling program. He had no connection to the sport before he first entered the practice room.
“The only thing I knew about wrestling was that you had to be in good condition,” Cooper said. “We had some pretty good wrestlers, but Steamboat Springs was the big gun in those days. I enjoyed the sport, and the state tournaments always were a great spectacle.”
He remembers getting a preview of one of his state champions. At the weigh-in, Colorado Mines wrestling coach Jack Hancock pointed to Rifle’s Jim Snyder as his pick to win a state title. Snyder obliged.
Most of the faculty members and students at Rifle High School today probably haven’t met Cooper. But they might see his name every day.
The school’s baseball field is named Gordon Cooper Field.
Cooper bio
Born: April 1, 1930, in McGill, Nev.
High school: White Pine County in Ely, Nev.
College: University of Denver
Family: Wife Vonda, sons Steve and Shawn
Hobby: Gardening
Future: Eagerly awaiting Oct. 14 induction into the DU Athletic Hall of Fame.
