Ronald "Bud" Cooper Gymnasium


 

The Ronald "Bud" Cooper Gymnasium hosts Lake Superior State's Basketball and Volleyball teams. Built in 1976, it replaced the Fletcher Center as the main athletics venue, while the Fletcher Center was converted to an administrative space. Fans flock to the Bud Cooper Gym to support their Lakers in GLIAC competition, one of the premier conferences in NCAA Division II.

Named for Cooper in 2000, the gymnasium is a feature of the larger James C. Norris Center, which also houses the Taffy Abel Arena and the Arbuckle Student Activity Center. 

The future "Father of Laker Athletics," Bud Cooper enrolled at new Soo Tech branch of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1947, the school's second year. Soo Tech would become Lake Superior State College in 1966, eventually earning its designation as a University, while its former parent institution later became Lake Superior State's athletics rival, Michigan Tech.

Cooper spent two years as an athlete for the Soo Tech Hornets, playing football and basketball. He returned to coach the Hornets for several seasons, and took the position of Athletics Director in 1957. Cooper spent the next 30 years in the position, ushering the future LSSU into multiple new eras. He played a key role in the founding of Laker Hockey, oversaw the early days of women's athletics as Title IX became law, and guided generations of young individuals during their time in Sault Ste. Marie. He coached tennis, golf and bowling during his tenure as Athletics Director, which ended with his retirement in 1986.

Bud passed away in 2008, leaving an immense legacy at the campus he devoted himself toward over a half-century.

The Bud Cooper Gym supports multiple configurations for practices, games and special events and can host nearly 2,000 people. The installation of the permanent hardwood floor in 1999 established it as the premier indoor facility in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.