cooper was born in hobbs, new mexico, and raised on a ranch. he suffered from asthma in his youth, and hair from horses caused him allergies. however, he began to practice roping when he was three to five years old, depending on the source. cooper stopped being affected by asthma prior to attending high school, and he competed in american junior rodeo association events, winning an award as "outstanding individual in 25 years" in 1977. two years earlier, he had won the calf roping title of the national intercollegiate rodeo association; his father, tuffy, won the organization's title in the discipline in 1950. he went to southeastern oklahoma state university and was a journalism major.