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*'''[[Willie J. Green]]''' (1999), professional basketball player with the [[Philadelphia 76ers]]
*'''[[Willie J. Green]]''' (1999), professional basketball player with the [[Philadelphia 76ers]]
*'''Demetrius Addison''' (2008), MHSAA silver medalist (men's 110 meter high-hurdles)
*'''Demetrius Addison''' (2008), MHSAA silver medalist (men's 110 meter high-hurdles)
*'''Robbie L. Hunt''' (2009), TSgt United States Air Force (Outstanding Airman of The Year Arizona 2009)


== Additionally ==
== Additionally ==

Revision as of 09:18, 20 April 2009

Thomas M. Cooley High School
Address
Map
15055 Hubbell Street

Detroit
,
Michigan 48227
Information
School typePublic
School districtDetroit Public Schools
PrincipalMr. Thomas Woodhouse
Grades9-12
Enrollment1325
LanguageEnglish
AreaUrban
Color(s)cardinal red and black
MascotCardinals

Thomas M. Cooley High School

Thomas M. Cooley High School is located at the intersection of Hubbell and Chalfonte Street, on the northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. The aesthetically pleasing, three-story structure is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. The facility was named in honor of Thomas M. Cooley, a nineteenth-century jurist and Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

The Early Days

Cooley High School's history dates to the late-1920's, during a period when thousands of homes were built upon land acquired through Detroit's aggressive annexation efforts in the former Greenfield Township and village of Strathmoor, Michigan. Cooley High was constructed to accommodate a rapidly growing populace on the city's burgeoning northwest side. The Mission Revival styled school opened its doors on September 4, 1928; from that day forward, the faculty and students have maintained a long-standing reputation for exceptional scholastic and athletic achievement.

The first five years of Cooley's existence was marked by exponential growth. In 1928, the student population stood at 1570, by 1932 the figure had climbed to 3750. That same year, noted author and motion picture celebrity, Frank Buck visited Cooley High School; Buck thrilled a packed auditorium audience with travelogues of recent African excursions.

In the early years, Cooley students enjoyed a diverse offering of extracurricular activities; including such pursuits as fencing, table tennis, indoor track and field, swimming and diving, speed skating and ice hockey. Throughout much of the twentieth century, in a wide variety of sports, Cooley student-athletes regularly finished at or near the top in the quest for Detroit city league supremacy. Hyperbole aside, records indicate that the Cardinals of Thomas M. Cooley High School rank historically as one of the most successful interscholastic athletic programs in the state of Michigan.

Cooley Cardinals: Legends of the Red and Black

In 1932, the Cooley Cardinal football team won the Metropolitan League-Northern Division Championship; finishing the regular season at 7-0. In those seven games, only Mackenzie High School put points on the board versus the Cardinals. Three members of Cooley's legendary 1932 football team were selected to the Detroit News All-Metropolitan Team. That same school year, Cooley won the Detroit Public Secondary Schools Athletic League title in ice hockey and tennis; adding DPSSAL runner-up trophies in track and field and cross-country.

During the 1941 football season, Coach Herb Smith led the Cooley Cardinals to a 9-0-1 record; Michigan sportswriters rewarded Cooley High with a consensus state championship.

A veteran of seventeen Major League Baseball seasons, pitcher Milt Pappas was a 1957 graduate of Cooley. Pappas won a total of 209 MLB games during his professional career; he pitched a no-hitter as a member of the Chicago Cubs in 1972.

Between 1960 and 1963, Coach Harold Lindsay's swimming and diving program won four consecutive DPSSAL crowns for Cooley High. At the 1963 Michigan High School Athletic Association championships, senior All-American Bill Jennison established a state and national high school record in the 100-yard butterfly event; Jennison's time of :52.60 stood as the MHSAA record until 1971.

As the 1960s unfolded, Cooley football teams were a dominant force on the Detroit high school football scene. In 1961, the 7-1 Cardinals cracked the Associated Press Top-Ten rankings for the first time - finishing the season rated tenth. The 1962 and 1963 teams posted a combined record of 15-0; both squads were ranked fourth in respective final AP standings. Nearly twenty years later, the 1980 Cardinal football team boasted a perfect 9-0 record and a third place Associated Press ranking; the 1981 team went 8-1, ending the season rated tenth.

Throughout Cooley High School's eighty-year history, the men's basketball program has enjoyed top-level success. The Cardinals were DPSSAL champions in 1973 and, during the late 1980s, Cooley basketball reigned supreme. Coach Ben Kelso led the Cooley Cardinals to unprecedented accolades and consecutive Michigan High School Athletic Association Championship titles in 1987, 1988, and 1989. Cooley won another DPSSAL basketball crown in 1992.

Over the years, numerous Cooley track and field athletes (male and female) have won individual DPSSAL and MHSAA gold medals; the Cardinals have also fared well in their quest for a state team title. Cooley's men finished as runners-up at the MHSAA Track and Field Finals, in 1984 and 1985. Six years later, Cooley High School brought home the 1991 MHSAA men's track and field championship trophy.

Notable Alumni of Thomas M. Cooley High School - Detroit, Michigan

  • Margaret Ayers (1932), Cooley's first State Champion - 1930 Michigan Secondary Schools Declamation Tournament
  • Stan Newsted, Bob Hamel and Ed Miller (1933), selected to the Detroit News All-Metropolitan Football Team for 1932
  • Bob Scott (1935), City Champion and top-ranked Michigan performer in the discus throw during 1935
  • Britton Lux (1940), DPSSAL Champion & MHSAA Athlete of the Year; :05 off USA high school record (men's one-mile run)
  • Richard Watson (1946), as a Wayne State University fencer, Watson was the sport's first four-time NCAA All-American, 1947-1950.
  • Mike Ilitch (1947), Little Caesar's Pizza entrepreneur; owner of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings.
  • Bob Langas (1948), played collegiate football at Wayne State; played professionally with the 1954 Baltimore Colts.
  • Ross Tuttle (1948) City Champion and top-ranked Michigan performer in the high jump during 1948
  • Larry LaVercombe (1953), his DPSSAL basketball single-game scoring record of 53 points stood for nine seasons
  • Milt Pappas (1957), former MLB pitcher; won 209 games during 17 seasons with Cincinnati, Baltimore and the Chicago Cubs
  • Milan Stitt (1959), Celebrated playwright, screenwriter and drama professor; best known for his play, The Runner Stumbles
  • James P. Hoffa (1959), All-City & All-State football player; renowned lawyer, current President of International Teamsters Union
  • Barbara Tarbuck (1959), Professional actress; co-starred in Walking Tall (2004).
  • Bill Jennison (1963), DPSSAL & MHSAA Champion swimmer; former National High School Record Holder in the 100 yard butterfly.
  • Joanne Scarborough (1966), record-breaking Patton Club swimmer; represented Cooley at the 1966 AAU National Championships
  • Sandra Blount (1968), MHSAA Track & Field Athlete of the Year; set state record (:54.7) in 400 meter dash at USA Championships
  • Rich Fisher (1968), longtime Detroit Television News Anchorman with WXYZ, WJBK, and WKBD.
  • S. Epatha Merkerson (1970), critically acclaimed Emmy & Golden Globe Award winning actress; star of NBC-TV series, Law & Order
  • Nick Ellis (1972), MHSAA Track & Field Athlete of the Year; 1972 MHSAA & Golden West Meet Champion (men's two-mile run)
  • Larry Fogle (1972), MHSAA Basketball Player of the Year; still holds DPSSAL single-game scoring record of 73 points (vs. Cody High)
  • Keith Tinsley (1983), went on to play college football at the University of Pittsburgh; played professionally with the 1987 Cleveland Browns
  • Ted Harris (1984), MHSAA State Champion (men's high jump)
  • Derrick Harris (1988), MHSAA State Champion (men's 400 meter dash)
  • Dawn Adams (1988), MHSAA State Champion (women's 300 meter hurdles)
  • Michael Talley (1989), Detroit Free Press - Mr. Basketball - 1989; led Cooley to three straight MHSAA titles ('87, '88, '89)
  • Marco West (1991), MHSAA State Champion (men's 400 meter dash)
  • David Norman (1992), MHSAA State Champion (men's 800 meters)
  • Lionel Boston (1994), MHSAA State Champion (men's shot put)
  • Shree Jones (1994), MHSAA State Champion (women's 200 meter dash)
  • Sylvester Dotson (1996), selected to the 1996 Magic's Roundball Classic All-American Team
  • Willie J. Green (1999), professional basketball player with the Philadelphia 76ers
  • Demetrius Addison (2008), MHSAA silver medalist (men's 110 meter high-hurdles)
  • Robbie L. Hunt (2009), TSgt United States Air Force (Outstanding Airman of The Year Arizona 2009)

Additionally

Cooley High movie

Writer Eric Monte's 1975 feature film Cooley High, is loosely based upon his experiences at Cooley Vocational High School, which formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. The inspiration for the movie's Edwin G. Cooley High and its screenplay are unrelated to Detroit's Thomas M. Cooley High School. [1]

References

  1. ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tarplro01.html accessed 12/7/2008
  2. ^ http://www.patriots.com/alumni/index.cfm?ac=alumnibiosdetail&bio=198 access 12/7/2008
  3. ^ http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/trice_obie/artist.jhtml access 12/7/2008
  4. ^ http://kan.scout.com/a.z?s=115&p=8&c=1&nid=2973666 accessed 12/7/2008
  5. ^ http://community.icontact.com/p/michigancitizen2/newsletters/email/posts/the_michigan_citizen_latest_edition_march_11_2007 accessed 12/7/2008

External links

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