Hall of Fame
Fred Cooley was a standout baseball and football player for Jones in 1985-86.
Cooley hit 17 home runs as a sophomore in 1986, which stood as the school record for many years.
Cooley played football at Jones under his father, Hall of Fame head coach Sim Cooley. He was an offensive lineman, as well as the team’s punter and placekicker.
He was a First Team All-MACJC and All-Region 23 performer in 1985-86, as well as a Second Team JC Gridwire All-American in 1985. He participated in the 1986 Mississippi Junior College Football All-Star Game.
Cooley played baseball at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1987-89. He was All-Metro Conference as a pitcher in 1988 and was All-Metro and an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American in 1989.
As a senior at Southern Miss, he batted .351 with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs – both school records at the time. He was unable to pitch that season because of bone chips in his elbow.
As a junior with the Golden Eagles, he batted a team-leading .352 with 17 home runs, 70 RBIs and a .643 slugging percentage. He led the team in hits with 86 and tied for the team lead in doubles and triples with 14 and 3, respectively. As a pitcher, he made 19 appearances, pitched 32.2 innings, struck out 39 and had five saves.
During his sophomore year at Southern Miss, Cooley batted .303 with five home runs and 35 RBIs. On the mound, he posted a win and a save while making nine appearances.
He was inducted into the Southern Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 12th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft and by the Oakland Athletics in the 37th round of the 1989 MLB Draft.
Cooley played minor league baseball from 1989-92 in both the A’s and Minnesota Twins’ organizations before becoming a graduate assistant at Jones in 1992-93.
Cooley graduated from South Jones in 1984 after leading the Braves to the 1984 1A baseball state championship. He played in the 1984 MAC High School All-Star Baseball Game and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He was also selected to play in the state High School All-Star Football Game.
He was an assistant coach in football at Northeast Jones from 1994-2004. He was assistant football coach at South Jones in 2004 and from 2006-10 and head softball coach at South Jones from 2010-14.
Cooley met his wife, Melinda, while they were students at Jones. They were married from 1990 until her death in 2022.
Cooley is currently retired and living in Ellisville.
