in his rookie prca season, 1976, cooper won the organization's tie-down roping championship and led the event in average earnings at the national finals rodeo (nfr). he broke the record for the most prize money won by a rookie cowboy, and earned the prca's rookie of the year award. in 1977, cooper was the third-leading earner at the nfr's roping event. at the 1978 cheyenne frontier days rodeo, he led all cowboys in prize money won, and his calf-roping winnings were the largest recorded in any non-nfr event at the time. after breaking one of his wrists the previous year, cooper won his second calf roping season championship in 1980, and had a third-place nfr average earnings finish in the discipline. the following year, he earned his second straight season calf roping title. however, he narrowly lost out on the prca's all-around cowboy season championship to his cousin, jimmie cooper, who earned $47.60 more in prize money than he did during 1981.