Britt Cooper is entering his ninth year as the Roswell Independent School District director of activities and athletics, but his journey in sports began long before this role.
Cooper, 61, grew up an athlete. The Clovis native attended Floyd High School, where he played varsity basketball from 1979-82.
He continued his playing career at Sul Ross State University from 1983-85 before transferring to Eastern New Mexico University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1986 and a master’s degree in administration in 1993.
Cooper began his coaching career at Dora High School, where he coached track, volleyball and boys and girls’ basketball from 1987-90.
He then served as the Roswell High School boys’ basketball assistant coach and junior varsity head coach from 1990-94. He also was the track head coach from 1991-94.
In 1994, Cooper became the Roswell boys’ basketball head coach. During his 23-year tenure, he led the Coyotes to four state championships (2009, 2010, 2014, 2017). He finished his career with a 448-236 record, making him the winningest coach in school history.
His success was recognized in 2016 when he was inducted into the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor. He said this is a huge accomplishment.
“It’s a great honor,” Cooper said. “Not many coaches get that honor, and for me to get it while I was still coaching was nice.”
Cooper chose to retire from coaching in 2017 after 30 years on the sidelines. He capped his career by leading Roswell to a 74-53 victory over Capital High School in the Class 5A state championship game.
Transition to Athletics Director
Cooper took a year off to spend time with his wife, Anjy, his daughter, Desiree, and his son, Sterling. He credited them for being supportive of his busy career that required him to work many evenings.
In 2018, Cooper decided to apply for the athletic director position after Troy Hudson departed. He has served the role ever since and said it was a great decision.
“After sitting out a year, I planned to go back into coaching either somewhere else in the state or possibly in Texas,” Cooper said. “When the athletic director job was open however, I felt like it was the right thing to do and it worked out perfectly.”
Marshall Mecham can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
