Charles “Tarzan” Cooper
(1907-1980)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1977
Card Shown:
1986-2002 Hall of Fame Metallic
Position: C
Height: 6’4″
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Charles “Tarzan” Cooper was considered the greatest center of his era. He was 6’4″ and used his height and strength to dominate in the paint. On the New York Rens he was not much of a scorer because that was not his role. He specialized in grabbing rebounds, starting the break, and protecting the paint. Tarzan played for the Rens for eleven years, from 1929-1939 and the team compiled a 1,303-203 record during that time.
Awards and Honors
- Cooper starred at Central High School in Philadelphia.
- In 1932-33, Tarzan and the Rens won an incredible 88 straight games in 86 days of barnstorming.
- In 1939, Cooper (along with William “Pop” Gates, John Isaacs, and Zack Clayton) led the Rens to the World Professional Tournament title in Chicago, where they defeated the Harlem Globetrotters. He was named the MVP of the tournament.
- Cooper, Gates, Isaacs, and Clayton were later reunited on the Washington Bears and led them to the World Pro Title in 1943.
- In 1977, Tarzan became the first African American player inducted into the Hall of Fame as an individual.
Points of Interest
- Tarzan’s professional career began right out of high school when he joined the Philadelphia Panthers in 1925. He then played the next three years for the Philadelphia Giants.
- Joe Lapchick, who played for the Original Celtics, called Cooper “the best center I ever saw.” His Celtics (all white) and the Rens (all black) were the top two professional teams in the 1930s. They played each other several times a year and developed a mutual respect two decades before the desegregation of the NBA. (Lapchick’s son Richard wrote an interesting article detailing the relationship between the Original Celtics and the Rens.)
- As a result of racial discrimination in the 1920s and 1930s, the Rens were routinely refused service by hotels and restaurants. They often slept in the team bus and ate cold sandwiches.
- Tarzan’s team, the New York Rens, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963. Later a number of players that played for the Rens would be inducted individually. These included Cooper, William “Pop” Gates, John Isaacs, and Zack Clayton.
- In 1944, the year after winning a World Championship, Cooper retired and took a job painting houses for $50 per week. More jobs and better opportunities had become available for blacks and Cooper never missed all the traveling although he did sometimes miss the days of “flying high” on the basketball court.
Charles “Tarzan” Cooper
Signed First Day Cover
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