Sports
Andy Cooper
1898–1941 · baseball pitcher and manager
Hall of Fame left-hander who pitched nine seasons for the Negro-league Detroit Stars; one historian called him the greatest pitcher ever to play for a Detroit team.
- Born
Waco, Texas- Died
Waco, Texas
aged 43- Birth name
- Andrew Lewis Cooper
- Also known as
- Lefty Cooper
- Detroit years
- 1920–1930
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Andy Cooper, a tall Texan who had studied at Paul Quinn College, joined the Detroit Stars in 1920, the year the club helped found the Negro National League. For most of the decade he was the workhorse of the staff at Mack Park, the Stars' east-side ballpark on Mack Avenue. The park's short fences favored hitters, yet Cooper thrived there with control and a deceptive delivery, and the heavy hitting of teammates such as Turkey Stearnes often gave him a cushion. He spent nine seasons in Detroit in all before moving to the Kansas City Monarchs, where he later managed and won pennants. Negro-league historian Dick Clark ranked him the best pitcher in Detroit baseball history, Stars or Tigers. Cooper died in Waco in 1941 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Highlights
- Pitched for the Detroit Stars from 1920, nine seasons in all
- Starred at hitter-friendly Mack Park
- Later managed the Kansas City Monarchs to pennants
- Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1920s
Mack Park (site)
Demolished
The Detroit Stars' home park, known for its short fences.