Bio

Cooper Farris

Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (1972-1974) / Baseball
Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior/Community College (1989-2009) / Coach (Baseball)
Perkinston, Mississippi

The Perkinston Campus was home to Cooper Farris for most of his life. "When I was a child, I watched baseball practices, loved the game and dreamed of coaching at Perk. Even after college, I always wanted to come back to Perk," he said. As a student at Gulf Coast, Farris played on the 1972 state-championship team, which finished as National Junior College Athletic Association Eastern District runner-up that year. He also played on the 1973 state-championship team.

"Those were truly memorable moments for the team and me," he said. "It was a great time for us and for the school. The only thing that could surpass that feeling was in 1991 when I coached the Bulldog team that would be the first Mississippi team to win a game in the Junior College World Series. It was an honor to coach the team that finished fifth in the nation."

After coaching and teaching in Texas, Farris came full circle when he returned to the college as baseball coach in July 1989 when his father, Ken "Curly" Farris, retired. "I was working in Texas when I learned that my dad was retiring, and it was good to come home after being contacted about the position," he remembers. While 1991 remained a high point of Farris' career, he also led the Bulldogs to 13 MACJC South Division titles, an NJCAA Eastern District championship and two NJCAA Region 23 championships.

His teams won the Mississippi Association of Junior and Community Colleges championship in 1992 and 1997. He compiled an impressive 698-374-1 record in 20 seasons, only missing one state playoff during that time.

"I am proud of both my father's and my achievements at Gulf Coast." The Perkinston Campus will always hold a special place in his family members' hearts.

The baseball field is named in honor of his late father, dedicated as the Ken "Curly" Farris Baseball field in 1990.