Wilbur played professional baseball as a left-handed pitcher. He began his Major League baseball career on August 29, 1912 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 21-year-old played for 15 seasons on 3 different teams and ended his big league playing career on July 21, 1926. He was 5’11”, 175 lbs, batted right and threw left.1470

“Cooper was scouted for the Pirates by future President Warren G. Harding, for which historians may credit Harding with his biggest contribution to the country. Lefy Cooper was an excellent fielder and a fine hitter, who was known for his ability to pick runners off third base. His 202 wins for the Pirates is still the most in franchise history, and he teamed with Babe Adams to form one of the longest-running lefty/righty pitching tandems in history. Cooper won twenty games four times, and from 1917 to 1924 his 161 wins were the most in baseball..
In the 1924 off-season, Cooper was traded to the Chicago Cubs in one of Pittsburgh’s most unpopular trades. He missed out on the Bucs’ 1925 pennant, and seemed to lose a lot of spirit after the deal, going 14-19 in his remaing two seasons in the big leagues. Known as a quick worker on the mound, Cooper once defeated Pete Alexander 1-0 at Shibe Park, in 51 minutes.”1471
Cooper played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1912-1924), Chicago Cubs (1925-1926), Detroit Tigers (1926). He started 408 games in his 15-year career, and appeared in relief 109 times. His best season was in 1920, when he won 24 games, had a 2.39 ERA, and completed 28 of his 37 starts.1471
“Cooper played his first professional ball with Marion (Ohio), in 1911. The publisher of the local newspaper was Warren G. Harding, who also owned the baseball team. The story goes that Harding recognized Cooper’s abililty and told Pirates’ owner Barney Dreyfuss about the left-hander. After the season, Dreyfuss bought Cooper from Columbus, for whom he finished the ‘11 campaign. The southpaw hurled for the Pirates for 13 seasons, whil Harding worked his way up the Ohio political machine and wa elected President of the United States in 1920.
Walter Schmidt became Wilbur Cooper’s ‘caddie’ in a sense. Schmidt was with the Pirates from 1916-1924, and caught most of Cooper’s starts in those nine seasons. Even when Pittsburgh had regular catchers Willy Fischer and Johnny Gooch, Schmidt was Cooper’s choice behind the plate. In 1922, Cooper started 37 games and Schmidt caught 40 games. Schmidt was to Cooper as Eddie Perez was to Greg Maddux in the 1990s.
Cooper and Schmidt were so in synch that in later years they often went the entire game without calling any pitches. Partly due to Schmidt, Cooper was a very fast worker, once defeating Pete Alexander in 51 or 59 minutes, depending on the source. Cooper recalled that special relationship, ‘ remember many a time, I’d be half through with my windup by the time I got a signal from Schmidt.’ After the pitcher was dealt to the Cubs, the Cooper/Schmidt duo was broken, with Schmidt playing just one more season with the Browns before retiring.
Wilbur Cooper was a fine athlete and a very good hitter. In 1922, he hit four home runs and batted .269 with a .444 slugging percentage. He was a career .239 hitter with 31 doubles, 17 triples and six homers. In 1919, he stole five bases, and from 1922-1925 he averaged 13 RBI in about 100 AB’s per year. In later years, teammate Pie Traynor recalled that Cooper would often bat in the #8 slot in the batting order.
Cooper is credited with picking seven runners off third base in 1924, which is believed to be a record. Cooper claimed his best pitch was his curveball, but he also credited some of his success to a trick pitch. ‘I used to chew gum and tobacco at the same time. The combination helped darken the ball.’ His best strength as a player was control Cooper walked 2.2 batters per nine innings over his 15-year career. His fielding ability, pickoff move and hitting were also very good strengths. Cooper is credited with picking seven runners off third base in 1924, which is believed to be a record.
In 1936, at the age of 44, Cooper was coaxed out of retirement to attempt to set a new world record of sorts. The idea was for the lefty-hander to throw a silver dollar clear across the Monongahela River in downtown Pittsburgh. Previously, Walter Johnson had hurled a coin 300-feet across the Rappahannock River in Virginia, something Gen. George Washington is also credited with accomplishing. But Cooper could not reach the other bank of the Monongahela, which was some 900 feet away. When the silver dollar disappeared into the water, Cooper said, ‘I never was much good at throwing money away anyway.’”1471

Career Summary:
IP: 3480
W-L: 216-178
ERA: 2.89

On October 27, 1924, Cooper was traded by the Pirates, along with first baseman Charlie Grimm and shortstop Rabbit Maranville to the Chicago Cubs for right handed pitcher Vic Aldridge, and two first baseman, George Grantham and Al Niehaus. On June 7, 1926, the Detroit Tigers picked up Cooper from the Cubs for the waiver price.

Wilbur Cooper was my 2C2R, on my dad’s side of the family. Interestingly, as he finished his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1926, he played with another relative of mine, Charlie Gehringer. Gehringer was my GG uncle on my mom’s side of the family, and was just beginning his Hall of Fame career as a second baseman.

1930 Census, Shreveport, Caddo Co., LA, p. 263
Wilbur (with Cooper written in above), Arley, rent $55, age 58, married at 24, b. WV, parents b. WV, ball player, professional
Edith, wife, 37, married at 23, b. PA, parents b. PA
Janice, dau., 8, b. PA

1940 Census, Mount Lebanon, Allegheny Co., PA


Obituary, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, California), Wednesday, August 8, 1973:

All-TIme Buc Pitcher Dead At 81

Van Nuys, Calif. (AP) — Wilbur Cooper, who won more than any other pitcher in Pittsburgh Pirate History, is dead of a heart attack at the age of 81.

The lefthander won 20 or more games four timeds [sic] in the early 1920s and was the winner of 202 games for the Pirates between 1912 and 1924, when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

His earned run average of 1.87 in 1916 is a club record and in 1969 a poll named him as the all-time Pirate pitcher.

Cooper, who died Tuesday, left his widow, Edith, three daughters and three grandchildren.

Services are pending.


Obituary, The Van Nuys News (Van Nuys, California), Thursday, August 9, 1973:

Pittsburgh Pitcher Wilbur Cooper Dies

Van Nuys (UPI) — The winningest pitcher in Pittsburgh Pirate history, Wilbur Coooper, 81, who died of a heart attack Tuesday, will be buried here tomorrow.

Cooper, survived by his widow, Edith, was rushed to the West Valley Community Hospital Tuesday morning and died shortly afterwards from a massive stroke.

He had suffered previous heart seizures.

The lefthander won 202 games for the Pirates from 1912-1924 and during four seasons, won 20 or more games. His earned run average in 1916—1.87—remains a Pirate record.

In addition to widow, Cooper is survived by three daughters, two of whom live ni the Los Angeles area.

The Coopers moved from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles in 1963.


Obituary, New York Times, Aug. 8, 1973 (from TheDeadballEra.com):

Wilbur Cooper

Van Nuys, Calif., Aug. 7 (AP)—Wilbur Cooper, a left-handed pitcher who won 20 or more games four times for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early nineteen-twenties, died of a heart attack today at the age of 81.

Mr. Cooper started with the Pirates in 1912 and posted his first 20-game season when he was 24-15 in 1920, his best record. He also won 20 or more games in 1921, 1922 and 1924.

The Pirates traded him to the Chicago Cubs, for whom he played until 1926, his last year in the major leagues.

Survivors include his widow, Edith; three daughters, and three grandchildren.