As a junior, Charles “Chuck” Cooper plays a pivotal role in winning the city Championship his basketball team at Westinghouse High School.

Chuck Cooper graduates from Westinghouse High School and enrolls at West Virginia State College, a historically black institution. After his first semester, he is drafted into the US Navy, where he proudly serves his country during the final stages of World War II. 

In an exhilarating freshman year, Chuck Cooper emerges as a standout among the nation’s top new basketball talents, spearheading Duquesne University’s thrilling run to an impressive 21-2 record, including a streak of 19 consecutive wins. Their remarkable season reaches its apex at the prestigious NIT in New York, the era’s top basketball tournament, where they eventually bow out to the future champions, the Utah Utes, in an intense quarterfinal showdown. A standout moment of the regular season occurs when Tennessee refuses to play against Duquesne if Cooper, the only black player on the team, is included. Cooper selflessly offers to sit out, but in a significant show of unity and principle, his teammates and the university refuse to play without him, resulting in a forfeit win against Tennessee. This episode highlights Cooper’s significant impact and the team’s commitment to inclusivity and justice.

Chuck Cooper, as the first black team captain at Duquesne University, leads the Dukes to a standout season, reaching the No. 2 spot in the AP poll and concluding with a No. 6 national ranking and a 23-6 record. Advancing to the NIT semifinals after a first-round bye, they put up a valiant fight before being bested by City College of New York, the eventual and later disgraced champions of both the NIT and NCAA tournaments. Cooper’s exceptional play earns him Consensus All-American status, marking him as only the second African American player in NCAA basketball history to achieve this prestigious recognition. His college career, highlighted by scoring over 1,000 points, propels Duquesne University to an impressive 78-19 record and two NIT appearances.

Cooper played four seasons for the Boston Celtics, one season for the Milwaukee Hawks, and split his final season between the St. Louis Hawks and Fort Wayne Pistons. Cooper’s Celtics finished second in the Eastern Division in three of his four seasons with the team and advanced to the playoffs in all four seasons. In his sole season with the Pistons, Cooper helped the team win the Western Division and advance to the NBA Finals. In six NBA seasons, Cooper recorded 2,725 points, 2,431 rebounds, and 734 assists.

 During his career, Cooper faced the fans of opposing teams on the road with dignity and class. He often had to stay in a different hotel or had to eat at different restaurants than the rest of the team. He once even had to sleep on the train instead of the team hotel in North Carolina. Playing in Boston meant he often dealt with discrimination in the very city he represented. Cooper himself often felt that his skills were being marginalized in the NBA because the League was not ready for black stars. Instead, he was forced to do the dirty work of playing hard defense and getting rebounds. His former coach, Red Auerbach, summed it up best when he said that Cooper “had to go through hell” as an NBA player. Cooper’s courage and strength in the face of adversity earned him a high degree of respect from his NBA teammates and coaches at every stop.

Cooper continued his pace-setting off the court upon his retirement. He earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota in 1960. In 1970, he became the City of Pittsburgh’s first Black department head and later served as Pittsburgh National Bank’s first Urban Affairs Officer.

Duquesne University honors Cooper by launching the Chuck Cooper Award, which has been awarded to a talented underclassman since its inception. 

Duquesne University launches the annual Chuck Cooper Classic game

Duquesne University names Cooper as an automatic selection to its All-Century Team.