A great major league umpire must garner respect from all those surrounding him, have the ability to handle people well and be able to make the right calls with a great deal of accuracy – an awesome personality doesn’t hurt either.

ISU alumnus and current Major League Baseball umpire Eric Cooper possesses all of the aforementioned qualities. Maybe that’s why those he respects so much think the same of him.

“Coop has a great God-given quality of judgment, but what really makes him outstanding is his poise and maturity,” 36-year-umpire-veteran Mike Reilly said of Cooper, affectionately called “Coop.” “He respects me and I respect the hell out of him. He’s a great kid and one of the best young umpires we have in all of baseball.”

Another one of Cooper’s self-described largest influences, intramurals director Garry Greenlee, agrees with Reilly.

“He’s a great person, a guy people are just generally drawn to. His personality is his best attribute, the ability to talk to people, as well as the ability to handle difficult situations makes him great,” Greenlee said.

Cooper, a graduate of Hoover High School in Des Moines, came to Iowa State in fall 1986 not really knowing what he wanted or why he wanted to come here.

“I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to do,” Cooper said. “Some of my high school friends went to Iowa State, and so did my high school girlfriend, and I followed.”

Cooper earned his degree in transportation logistics, but it wasn’t the most important aspect of his college career. That honor lies within the intramurals system, where he experienced his humble beginnings in umpiring.

“My freshman year I started working flag football and I met Garry Greenlee, who is extremely instrumental to where I am today,” Cooper said. “I needed extra money and it was a great form of getting it. One thing led to another and I did broomball, basketball, softball, became a supervisor and then Garry’s assistant.”

Greenlee admits it’s been a long time, but he remembers Cooper’s start as well.

“He started off as a normal intramural official and he had the skills to get along with people very well. He moved up the ladder until he became my office assistant for two years,” Greenlee said. “Once he started umpiring high school baseball you could tell he was very, very good.”

In January 1990, not long after he received his transportation logistics degree, Cooper went down to Florida to try his hand at umpire school. He did all the right things and he was one of the top 15 from his school who were sent to the major leagues. Major leagues doesn’t mean Cubs or Yankees right away- Cooper started much like a player generally does, in the Rookie League.

Cooper worked his first-ever game as a pro in the Rookies League in Tennessee. Once again, a lot like a young star player, he wasn’t in the Rookie League for long. After one season he took the next step to A League, then quickly to AA ,and just five years after umpire school in Florida, he was umpiring one step below the major leagues in AAA.

While Cooper was still under AAA contract in 1996, an umpire on Reilly’s crew was injured and Cooper got his first call as a temporary fill-in.

“We had him for about a week or so and I was very impressed with how classy he was,” Reilly said.

Cooper’s first major league game was in Milwaukee to umpire the Royals and the Brewers – not the most glamorous of games, but it didn’t matter to him.

“When you get your first call to the big leagues it’s awesome; less than one percent make it out of umpire school,” Cooper said. “I was very nervous for that first game though; it’s a big stage, with anything you do you gain confidence by your comfort zone, and I had no comfort zone.”

After four years in AAA, Cooper finally signed a contract with the major leagues and was picked up by Reilly to be on his crew. Cooper has been in and out of Reilly’s crew and the past couple years he’s been back on.

“I became a crew chief in 2000 and I’ve always had the opportunity to ask for Coop and I’ve had him,” Reilly said. “He’s a great umpire and a strong crewmate, I want a classy guy who’s fun to be around, and Coop is that.”

In his young major league career, Cooper has umpired an All-Star game, as well as a handful of playoff games – including the 18-inning game between the Braves and Astros in 2005.

Cooper was also umpiring when Cal Ripken Jr. ended his consecutive-games streak; he was there for Ripken Jr.’s last ever game; he was umpiring during a no-hitter thrown by then-Red Sock Hideo Nomo.

Cooper is soon to be married to a woman he met after working a Rangers game in Arlington, Texas. He has the respect of players and co-workers around the league, and an extremely bright future with Major League Baseball.

Life is good for Coop.