Samford Hall of Fame Members
Biography
Norman "Shorty" Cooper played football at Samford (then Howard College) from 1935 to 1936. He was named a Little All-American in 1936, and he was named to the All-Dixie Conference team in both 1935 and 1936. He was a key defensive player in Samford's famous 7-7 tie with Alabama in 1935. He played center for the Brooklyn Dodgers professional football team in 1936 and 1938. In 1939, he coached the freshman football team at Samford and from 1940-43 he coached football and basketball at Vanderbilt. After a World War II interlude, he went back to Vanderbilt and coached from 1946-47 before going to the University of Kansas in 1948 and LSU from 1949-52. He then retired from coaching to enter the business world. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.
