UA Pine Bluff Athletics

Jackie Cooper was named UAPB cornerbacks coach in April 2020, and brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience in college and high school as well as having coached on both sides of the football. 

Cooper spent the past two seasons at Southwest Mississippi Community College as recruiting coordinator and secondary coach, where his unit nearly had four times as many interceptions in 2019 (11) as the year before (three). 

Prior to his time at Southwest Mississippi, Cooper was passing game coordinator and secondary coach at East Jefferson (La.) High School (2017), defensive back / special teams coordinator at Cincinnati (Oh.) Christian School (2015-16), H.L. Bourgeois (La.) High School (2014), and East St. John (La.) High School (2013).

Cooper was defensive coordinator at Higgins (La.) High School (2012), linebackers coach at East Jefferson HS (2011), and was wide receivers coach at Stillman College (2010).

He began his coaching career in 1993 at Summit Country Day (Oh.) High School and next spent four years at Withrow (Oh.) High School (1994-97). He then spent two years as receivers coach at the College of Mount St. Joseph (Oh.).

Cooper also spent two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati. While there, he helped guide the Bearcats to the Motor City Bowl, the New Orleans Bowl and the 2002 Conference USA championship. Cooper also spent one year as assistant coach for the Cincinnati Swarm of the Arena 2 Football Team.

His coaching career has also saw him at Lane College, Indiana State, Delta State, East Mississippi Community College, and John Ehret High School. 

As a player, the Marrero, La. native won a state championship at John Ehret High School before becoming a two-year starter at defensive back at the College of the Sequoias. He helped his team to the 1987 Potato Bowl while being named the school's freshman Athlete of the Year in football and track.
 
Cooper then spent two years as a defensive back at the University of Cincinnati. A two-year starter for the Bearcats, he received the Brig Owens Award as the team’s Outstanding Defensive Back in 1989.
 
Drafted in the third round by San Antonio of the World Football League in 1991, Cooper later played for New Orleans and Cincinnati in the Arena Football League.
 
Cooper holds a degree in Business Administration from Xavier University and is currently working towards Master’s degree in Sports Administration.
 
He and his wife Tracey have two sons (Deon and Jeremy) and a daughter (Chelsie), along with five grandchildren. He is also a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.