A Mentor to Generations: Willie Cooper’s 40-Year Legacy at Boys & Girls Clubs
In Manatee County, Florida, Willie Cooper is something of a legend. Ask any resident and chances are likely that they know “Mr. Cooper” or “Coop,” who spent more than 40 years mentoring generations of kids and teens at the local Boys & Girls Club.
But Willie’s history at the Club goes back even further, all the way to when he was one of the few African American boys attending the Boys Clubs of Manatee County’s Bradenton Branch in 1968 during the desegregation of schools in the United States. He was 11 years old.
“Back then, if you were African American, you had to go on a waiting list to join the Boys Club,” Willie shared. “Our membership was not guaranteed. My family lived behind the Boys Club, and I remember my mom walking my brother and I over and enrolling us as members for an annual fee of around $2 each.”
In the Cooper family, attending the Boys Club was a special reward. Only after finishing school, church and chores would Willie race over to the Club, getting creative in the woodworking and clay shops and competitive on the field.
“My brothers and I would go to the Boys Club every day after school and in the summertime. There were four or five baseball fields out back and all the fellas would get together and play all day during the summer. At lunchtime, we’d drop the equipment, go home, have lunch and come right back,” Willie reminisced. “It was still just the ‘Boy’s Club’ back then, so girls weren’t allowed unless they slipped in. Then when they saw staff members coming, they’d run out the back door.”
It would be years before the Club, like others across the nation, fully desegregated and went on to accept girls into its membership. But what 11-year-old Willie didn’t know was that he would be there to witness it all.
Embracing New Experiences: Sports & Mentorship
Sports in particular were a big deal at the Bradenton Boys Club. At the time, not many community organizations offered organized sports for kids, and it wasn’t unusual for youth to have to wait until high school to play in a sports league. The Boys Club recognized this gap and stepped in to offer opportunities for members to try different athletics at an earlier age.
“I didn’t want to play basketball at my high school, I wanted to play at the Boys Club,” said Willie. “My older brother was on the high school basketball team, and he only got to play against local teams. But at the Boys Club, we got to travel across the state to play other teams, and it wasn’t long before my brother and the other high school kids wanted to play at the Boys Club, too.”
Joining a few years after Willie, Quinton Cooper got just as much value out of the Club as his older brother.
“The Club meant the world to us younger guys. It gave us something to look forward to, to work up to,” Quinton said. “But if you got in trouble at school, the Club wouldn’t allow you to come. I remember getting a failing grade on one of my tests and my mom said, ‘you’re not playing basketball at school or the Club anymore.’ After that, I never failed another class again.”
It was at the Club that Willie met some of the incredible mentors who made a lasting impression on him. There was Mr. Hamilton, the woodshop teacher, and Coach Ackerman, who not only taught physical education at a nearby school but spent extra hours helping out at the Club.
One of his favorites was former Major League Baseball player, Hal McRae. Both natives of Bradenton, McRae played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals. Willie was impressed then — and even now — by McRae’s enthusiasm to come back to his hometown and spend time with the Club boys.
“I remember seeing players like Hal two or three times a week when I was growing up. Back in the day, the Pittsburgh Pirates played their spring games next door to the Club, and afterwards, they would come over and play basketball, pool or ping pong with us. They were always happy to interact with the kids,” said Willie. “Hal still visits the Club sometimes, and the kids are always eager to talk to him about his playing days.”
Returning to the Club: Opening Doors to Opportunities for All
After graduating from high school, Willie continued his education by attending Manatee Junior College, where he earned his associate degree in criminal justice. A few years later, a 24-year-old Willie walked back through the Club doors and began his career at Manatee County Boys Clubs as a part-time program specialist.
“I loved being on the staff,” said Willie. “Every day I got to go home after spending all day having fun with the kids, playing games like Duck, Duck, Goose and Foursquare. I remember one of the county police officers used to come by the Club almost every day to try and recruit me for local law enforcement. But I just couldn’t do it. I’d rather be with the kids.”
Willie wore many hats during his 40 years at Manatee County Clubs — from being a physical education director to running programs, Club locations and managing relationships with Club alumni and community leaders.
Several teens received their first paying jobs through Willie by participating in a Club-run leadership training program, progressing from members to junior staff. Some of them have gone on to work at ESPN, research cancer, serve in the U.S. military and become professional athletes. Others followed in Willie’s footsteps, coming back later in their lives to serve as Club leaders.
Being a mentor has been particularly valuable to young Black children who saw themselves in Willie. “When I became a staff mentor, it was a big deal because Black kids who came to the Club felt like they had somebody to look up to. Somebody they could talk to,” he says.
Despite obstacles, Willie has continued to be a light to all young people, showing by example what it means to be a leader who champions inclusivity. In 1990, Boys & Girls Clubs of America began inviting girls to join as members. Skepticism arose at many Clubs during this momentous change, but Willie embraced it, helping to guide, accept and encourage fellow staff member, Marti King — the first female program director at Manatee County Clubs.
Decades later, she is grateful to Willie for giving her the opportunity to be part of the Club’s legacy. “Working at the Club was my favorite job of all time. It led to lifelong friendships,” she said.
Celebrating “Willie Cooper Week” — The Legacy Lives On
It’s been a year since Willie Cooper celebrated his retirement in style at his alma mater Club.
Arriving in a vintage Rolls Royce sent by one of his former Club kids, he was met with a warm welcome from nearly 250 people at his retirement party. Even the Bradenton mayor, also a former Club kid, declared February 13-18 as “Willie Cooper Week” in Manatee County in honor of his legacy.
Willie has come a long way from being the kid who loved watching Westerns and cooking with his grandmother. He’s been a mentor, coach, friend, father figure and listening ear to thousands of young people throughout Manatee County. He also proudly led the kind of Boys & Girl Club he’d want to join all over again, one that welcomes all youth and adults.
Now he continues to invest in young people’s futures, through a scholarship all four Cooper brothers contribute to in honor of their parents. He still drops by the Club to help with volunteer projects. And he watches as the kids he mentored now, as adults, bring their own kids back to the Club.
“Mr. Cooper is humble, don’t let him fool you,” said Marti. “No matter where he goes — in town, out of town, a community event, local shops, restaurants, a basketball game — everybody knows him. People will come up to him and say, ‘Coach!’ or ‘Coop — my mentor, my mentor.’ It’s easy to see how much he has meant to countless generations.”
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