Thomas Cooper (9 April 1905 – 25 June 1940) was an England international footballer who played for Port Vale, Derby County, and Liverpool.

[3] Cooper played for Longton and Cheshire County League side Trentham before being bought by Port Vale for a fee of £20 in August 1924.

[1] Cooper was sold to George Jobey's Derby County for a £2,500 fee in March 1926, having impressed in a Boxing Day fixture against the "Rams" the previous year.

Stoke City attempted to sign Cooper in November 1934, offering Frank Soo in part-exchange, but Derby turned them down.

[5] He immediately made his debut on 8 December in an away fixture at Stamford Bridge; Chelsea spoilt the day for Cooper by humbling the "Reds" 4–1.

Cooper failed to hit the target for his new club (after only scoring once for Derby)[5] although he was an excellent defender who was one of the toughest tacklers in the game.

His first cap came on 22 October 1927 in a British Home Championship match at Windsor Park Belfast; Ireland were the hosts and won the game 2–0.

[6] An inquiry took place into his death, with the outcome being an order that stated despatch riders were no longer allowed to ride their motorcycles without wearing a crash helmet.