How C4 owner Sean Cooper became one of the most prominent figures in Oklahoma HS football
Sean Cooper wasn’t necessarily thrilled about joining the Southeastern Oklahoma State football program about two decades ago.
Raised in Pittsburg, Texas, Cooper had developed into a standout running back, and the idea of having to play at the Division-II level was disappointing.
But Cooper didn’t show that when he arrived in Durant.
Sure, he thought he belonged at a more well-known school.
However, Cooper showed up ready to work.
“Not a lot of guys stuck around in the summer, but he was one of a handful or two,” said Southeastern head coach Bo Atterberry, an assistant at the time who was also the head strength coach. “We’d get out there and grind once a day, twice a day, sometimes three times a day. He just had that look about him consistently with his work ethic, his purpose and his energy was just contagious.”
It’s been a little while since those days, but Cooper’s drive and tenacity remain.
Now the owner of C4 Sports Performance & Fitness in Durant, he’s become one of the most prominent figures in Oklahoma high school football. Some of the best players in the state go to Cooper and train at C4. And those who are interested in football in this state have likely heard about Cooper or C4, which stands for his four Cs of commitment, conditioning, confidence and camaraderie.
A lot of prominent Texoma players go to C4 and play for its 7-on-7 team, but more athletes outside of that area in southern Oklahoma and north Texas have joined, too.
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Carl Albert junior quarterback and OU commit Kevin Sperry is among that group. Classen SAS senior defensive back and receiver Elijah Green and Poteau senior defensive back and running back Dax Collins — both Tulsa commits — are a couple others.
“I think the ultimate goal is really just continuing to help as many kids as we can help, especially small-town kids who don’t have the resources,” Cooper said. “Continue to give them a platform that they can thrive on and just truly help and bless as many kids as we can bless. That’s really the goal.”
Cooper, 37, grew up in northeastern Texas and was always in love with football.
His dad and uncle were star running backs at Pittsburg, and he was determined to be like them.
Cooper played basketball quite a bit with his friends, but there was just something about football that was special.
“Football was always the priority,” he said. “I watched it growing up. I loved it. I would watch Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith. I would watch them do something and I would go outside and mimic it. I was always a football dude.”
Cooper began college as the backup behind Brian Odom. Odom, who coaches inside linebackers and is the associate head coach for defense at USC, had attended OU for two seasons and was a member of its 2000 national championship team before transferring to Southeastern.
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After Odom graduated, Cooper took over as the starter and thrived from his sophomore to senior seasons.
After that, he played in the German Football League, beginning in 2008. Cooper was named Rookie of the Year and went on to dominate over the next few years, even earning Most Valuable Player honors.
He started helping and teaching other athletes while he was there. And eventually, he began coaching kids while overseas.
“I just couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get an NFL shot,” Cooper said. “And now looking back at it 10, 15 years later it was just, and I tell our kids this, ‘God had another lead design for me, and that lead was C4 and southern Oklahoma and helping kids in Oklahoma and Texoma.’”
Cooper decided in 2013 to not play in Germany anymore as he had just gotten married and had a daughter.
He started training adults and working different jobs, including as a janitor once a week at the Durant Daily Democrat, which he also did during his college football days.
Atterberry was named Southeastern's head coach in 2014 — he’s currently in his second stint as the program’s head man — and hired Cooper as his strength and running backs coach.
“I basically just hired him off his work ethic and again his passion and purpose for the game,” Atterberry said.
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Cooper continued training people on his own and built the C4 facility in 2016.
He stopped coaching at Southeastern that year but did return for a short stint before going all in on C4 in 2018.
He started getting involved with 7-on-7 during that time, and the rest is history.
Although C4 is still a place for adults and college athletes to train, it is well known for its work with high school athletes.
For guys like Illinois quarterback and former Ardmore star Cal Swanson, his time at C4 helped prepare him for the next level.
“His workouts were really similar to college workouts,” Swanson said. “Just a bunch of speed work. It’s not really a whole lot of weight lifting and powerlifting. It’s a bunch of speed, a bunch of concentrated lifts just kind of for speed. And that really helped me, especially going into the spring, getting ready for track.”
The C4 facility isn’t fancy. There’s a weight lifting area and lots of open space filled with red turf.
Music is often blaring, and it’s a high-energy environment.
“The lifts are very detailed,” Swanson said. “You’re really focused on what you’re doing. He doesn’t do a whole lot of yelling. He’s really kind of just getting you focused and dialed in on what you’re doing.”
Cooper learned the college recruiting game while coaching at Southeastern.
He knows that most big Division-I programs will only send one recruiter to Oklahoma.
By having players from all over Oklahoma at C4, recruiters can see all of them in one place.
More under-the-radar players get noticed that way.
Green started going to C4 the summer between his sophomore and junior seasons. He heard about Cooper on social media and knew that joining C4 would help his recruiting as Classen SAS is a struggling program that doesn’t get a lot of attention.
“I’m glad I came,” Green said during the C4 pro day in May. “It really changed my life.”
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Cooper — a father of three — is personable, and basically everyone who knows him has great things to say.
Sulphur senior receiver and defensive back DaMontre Patterson is among them.
“I really love Coach Coop,” Patterson said after announcing his commitment to New Hampshire this month. “I really wasn’t sure about football. Going into my eighth-grade year, I wanted to be a basketball player. And then he convinced me to join football. Then freshman year is when I got my first offer, that’s when I really locked in and started working with him.”
Cooper’s energy and passion for helping athletes is one thing that stands out.
He was like that as a player, and he’s like that now.
“From probably five in the morning to 11 at night, he’s probably got the same mindset all day,” Swanson said. “He’s got a very explosive personality. He can wake you up real quick. It’s kind of awesome.”
Swanson added, “He has a lot of connections. He’s very good at getting coverage on you on Twitter and just getting the right people to see you coming in for practices and workouts.”
Cooper has three people helping him right now, but that number increases when 7-on-7 is going on.
He doesn't have tons of help, but he loves what he's doing and feels like he has found his calling.
“He is the business,” Atterberry said. “He is that guy. And there’s not anybody, in my opinion, that could go in and replicate what he does. It’s his energy, it’s his passion. … Sean would’ve jumped off anywhere.”
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How C4 owner Sean Cooper became key figure in Oklahoma HS football
