By Josh Beavers
This Friday, the town of Sibley will celebrate “Gary Cooper Day” to honor a man whose dedication to coaching and teaching has left an indelible mark on Lakeside Jr. Sr. High School. After more than two decades leading the Warriors’ softball program and eight years at the helm of the football team, Gary Cooper is retiring from a career that has inspired countless student-athletes.
Cooper’s journey began humbly on an 80-acre farm in rural Tensas Parish, where he learned the value of hard work and responsibility from a young age. “My first thought is of a cabless John Deere tractor and hauling square hay bales,” he says with a reminiscent chuckle. “I grew up in a very rural setting in Tensas Parish. Farming was the occupation of most of the people.”
From an early age, Cooper took on major responsibilities tending to the family farm while his parents worked off the land. “I was given the responsibility at a young age of farming our 80-acre farm while my dad worked at the sawmill and my mom at the hospital.” However, he recognized that supporting a family through agriculture alone would be a difficult path. “I knew by the time I was a junior in high school it would be hard to make a living [in farming], so I needed to do something else.”
With a talent for math and a passion for sports, the choice to become a teacher and coach seemed natural. Cooper pursued that dream, earning his degree in 1984 and stepping into his first teaching roles at private schools near his hometown. “I had taught 4 years at 2 different private schools near my old hometown and realized I needed to get established in a retirement system.”
It was a suggestion from his sister that set Cooper’s sights on the Ruston area and Cedar Creek School, where he spent 8 formative years teaching and his own children had their elementary experiences with “some fantastic teachers.” During this period, he also earned his master’s degree from Louisiana Tech University.
But the small-town lifestyle continued beckoning. “After receiving several offers we decided to make Webster Parish our home,” Cooper says. He joined the staff at Minden High School, teaching math while serving as an assistant football coach and head softball coach.
“Minden was great and teaching and coaching was great,” he reflects, “but remember I’m a small-town boy. So, I took a job at Sibley High with the same role I had at Minden.”
When Lakeside High School opened just two years later, Cooper knew he had found his long-term home. He became the head football coach, a position he held for 8 years, while continuing as head softball coach until 2021. Among his proudest moments are coaching his own children, Adam and Kati; winning Lakeside’s first-ever home football game against North DeSoto; making the softball playoffs 21 out of 23 years; and upgrading the school’s sports facilities over the years.
But Cooper’s impact went far beyond wins and losses. He helped build the small school’s athletic programs literally from the ground up into a source of pride for the community. More importantly, he helped shape the lives of hundreds of young student-athletes over more than 20 years.
“If you ask my former players, they say I’m a lot softer than I used to be,” Cooper admits with a laugh. “I think as a coach you have to adapt to the kids you are coaching, or you will lose your effectiveness. Things certainly have changed over the years and softball as a sport has grown exponentially over the past 20 years.”
One of his most cherished memories is a letter from a former player expressing gratitude not for anything related to softball skills, but rather for “respecting others, how to be on time, how to be responsible and take care of your business. Nothing has ever made me any prouder.”
Cooper’s former players rave about the invaluable life lessons they learned from the veteran coach. Respect, responsibility, accountability – those were the cornerstones of Coach Cooper’s program. He never lets players take shortcuts on or off the field.
More than anything, he tried to show players how to be good people, good students, and good teammates. Winning was important, but not more important than your character.
When asked what advice he would give to the next generation of coaches coming up at Lakeside, Cooper’s response is simple but profound: “Be consistent in every aspect of coaching and teaching. But even more, make sure your players and students know without a doubt you care about each and every one of them.”
As the Sibley community prepares to honor Gary Cooper, tributes have been pouring in from former players, students, colleagues and coaches he has impacted over an accomplished 40-year career arc:
2 years at Briarfield Academy
2 years at Tensas Academy
8 years at Cedar Creek School
2 years at Minden High School
2 years at Sibley High School
24 years at Lakeside High School
In addition to softball and football, he has coached basketball, track, tennis, and even drove the van for the golf teams. His roles ranged from assistant to head coach across multiple sports over the decades.
Yet in his humble way, Cooper deflects much of the acclaim to others who helped shape his coaching journey and Lakeside’s programs. “I have been truly blessed to have worked with so many great teachers, students, and coaches. I am very grateful for all the head coaches and principals I have worked for and all the assistant coaches that have worked for me.”
He also expressed appreciation for the broader community’s support, adding, “I would also like to thank all the parents over the years who helped me run our programs and let me borrow their children for a short time.”
As for the celebration in his honor, Cooper seems most excited simply to reunite with members of the extended Lakeside community. “I am looking forward to Friday, not for being honored but for getting a chance to see some old faces and making new memories.”
When the town of Sibley declares March 24 as “Gary Cooper Day,” it will be a chance to celebrate the profound impact of a coaching legend. But the true legacy of Gary Cooper can be found in the hundreds of lives he has shaped through his dedication, his caring guidance, and the valuable life lessons he imparted in his players.