A somewhat thick-set man at 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) and 12 st 4 lb (78 kg), Cooper was a champion half-back.

[5] In 1912, after he had been appointed captain of the Fitzroy senior team,a contemporary report spoke of the tough, speedy, skilful, and tenacious Cooper as follows: It would be difficult to select a back man to beat him, although he is rather on the small side.

[10] He played his last senior VFL game for Fitzroy on Saturday 11 September 1915, in the 1915 Preliminary Final,[11] that was won by Carlton 6.18 (54) to 5.8 (38).

[12] He was reported once in his playing career, in the 14 August 1909 match against Carlton at the Brunswick Street Oval, for charging and striking; he was suspended for 12 weeks.

[16] Leaving his employment as a storeman, he enlisted in the 8th Battalion of the First AIF on 8 November 1915[17] and left for France on the troopship Wiltshire on 7 March 1916.

[20][21] Most likely through the effects of the gas, Cooper's throat continued to give him a lot of trouble (he almost lost his voice) and, once again, he was repatriated to England.

He returned to France once more and was killed in action in Belgium, at Polygon Wood, during the Battle of Passchendaele on 20 September 1917.