Terry Cooper was manager of Exeter City when the club won its only divisional title in 1990. An England international and member of Don Revie’s fine, albeit controversial, Leeds United sides of the 1960s and 1970s, he had two spells at Exeter City that saw dramatically contrasting fortunes. His son Mark played for the Grecians during this time and later became a football manager himself.       

Terry Cooper made 250 league appearances, and many others in domestic and European cup competitions, for Leeds United between 1963 and 1975. A fine attacking left-back, he also won twenty caps for England at a time when there were fewer opportunities than thirty or forty years later. Firstly moving on to Middlesbrough, where former Leeds team mate Jack Charlton was manager, Terry initially came to the South West to sign for Bristol City in 1978 before a stint as player-manager of Bristol Rovers and a return to Ashton Gate in the same capacity before giving up playing. 

Leaving the Rpbins in 1988, he was soon heading to St James’ Park in the May of that year as a rather-delayed replacement for Colin Appleton who had left in the previous December. Taking the Grecians to 13th place was an immediate improvement on that of 22nd in 1988/89 although hopes would have still remained relatively modest as City started 1989/90 with the addition of new signings such as Danny Bailey, Clive Whitehead, the returning Jim McNicol and goalkeeper Kevin Miller, an arrival late in the previous campaign.  

Yet the season - that also featured runs to the 3rd round of the FA Cup and 4th round of the League Cup - started well, and with a home league record of won 20, drawn 3, lost 0, the home supporters could hardly ever have been doubtful about the final outcome when the title was won with 89 points, ten ahead of Grimsby Town. It was City’s third promotion after those of 1964 and 1977 but the first time a divisional title had been won.

Terry Cooper remained in charge during 1990/91 when City finished 16th in Division Three but, with constant speculation about his future, he eventually moved on to Birmingham City in August 1991 on the cusp of the new season. With the Blues in the doldrums, and in the third-tier alongside the Grecians, he led them to promotion in his first season but - after a 19th placed finish in the second-tier in 1992/93 - was dismissed in November 1993 when the team was still struggling. 

Within weeks Exeter’s manager Alan Ball, a fellow former England player of the 1960s and 1970s who had been Mr Cooper’s replacement at St James’ Park, had accepted the job as manager at Southampton leaving the Grecians with a vacancy to fill. With Ivor Doble, who had first appointed Terry in 1988, back in the chair after an FA suspension, City’s championship-winning manager had returned to his old job by the end of January 1994. Yet, in what was the club’s fourth season in the third-tier, he was unable to save City from relegation as the side finished in 22nd place eight points from safety. 

At which point there would have been disappointment around the club rather than despair. But, with City facing all sorts of challenges off the field, the following season inched closer to outright despair as the Grecians finished at the foot of the Football League and were only spared from relegation into non-league football because Macclesfield, champions of the Conference, had failed the ground grading that would have enabled the clubs to exchange places (with Devon neighbours Torquay United enjoying similar good fortune the following summer at the expense of Stevenage).

Terry Cooper’s own fortunes could hardly have been more contrasting during his two spells at Exeter City and he officially left the club at the end of July 1995 to be replaced from within by Peter Fox. Mr Cooper, at the age of fifty-one,  didn’t manage in the Football League again although he scouted for a number of clubs including Southampton. He died in July 2021 aged seventy-seven.

His son Mark played for Exeter City in two spells and also featured in his father’s teams at Bristol City and Birmingham City as well as managing around a dozen Football League and non-league clubs. Grandson Charlie also became a professional footballer.