Clay O’Brien Cooper was born May 6, 1961, in Ray, Arizona. As a child actor, he made his screen debut alongside John Wayne in the 1972 film The Cowboys, and went on to appear in film and TV roles in Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and more. By age 16, however, acting for Cooper was replaced by a new interest — roping — that would result in his becoming a seven-time world team-roping title winner (1985-1989, 1992, 1994). A 1997 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee, Cooper joined the PRCA in 1979, and by 1981 had qualified for the National Finals Rodeo the first of 29 times (1981-95, 1997-98, 2000-04, 2006-08, 2012-2015). He has qualified for the National Circuit Finals Rodeo 10 times and been NCFR team-roping champion four times. He has also been NFR average champion four times (1985, 1994, 2007, 2012).
In 1994, Cooper and partner Jake Barnes set the NFR average record of 59.1 seconds on 10 head; the same year, the duo also set the PRCA record for most team roping world titles (seven), a record that stood until 2004. When not roping,
Cooper is active in youth ministry and spends time with his family in Gardnerville, Nevada.
