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WILLIAM COOLEY
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William Cooley
Life Member of the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) ®
Life Member of USA Traditional Kodokan Judo (USA-TKJ) ®
Member - United States Ju-Jitsu Senior Masters Caucus
Member - USA Traditional Kodokan Judo Senior Masters Caucus
Member - National Technical / Promotion Committee
USJJF & USA-TKJ Regional Representative for Iowa
Mr. Cooley has over 55 years experience in the Martial Arts.
Shihan Bill Cooley's martial arts history covers a span of over 55 years. He fought in state and national level Judo tournaments and retired from active competition with a Heavyweight Championship in 1983 at the Southeastern U.S. Open. He continued to study and practice various forms of Ju-Jutsu and achieved Black Belt ranks as well as Judo ranks.
After his service in the U.S. Navy in the late 1950s, Cooley began the study of Judo while also coaching track, field and cross-country. His first teacher was Neal Rosenberg. Neal was one of the servicemen who learned Judo in Japan and brought it back to the U.S. Cooley also studied with several of the U.S Olympic coaches and one Korean Olympic coach (for the French team), and attended a number of training seminars with the President of the USJA, Phil Porter. Cooley also took advantage of training opportunities in other martial arts. Often these were week-long sessions. He attended Camp Bushido in the 1980s and was inducted into the Martial Arts Masters, Pioneers and Legends Hall of Fame in 1999.
Upon leaving teaching and coaching at the secondary level, Cooley returned to the University of Wisconsin for a PhD. While there he taught Judo classes for students and worked with the UW Judo Club. Upon graduation he worked in Madison, WI for a few years and worked out at the Edgerton, WI Judo Club. Cooley studied under Rick Olstad (a member of the Wisconsin Black Belt Hall of Fame) who was an excellent coach and competitor. While in his competitive years, Cooley fought in matches in several states and did a special match for the Wisconsin State Fair against one of the state’s best black belts. He also fought in an exhibition match at Milwaukee’s SummerFest. These were large venues that surpassed the usual tournament audience.
A career with the Federal Government in 1981 took Cooley around the country. He worked out in well-respected dojos with experienced teachers. These Sensei were at times Korean (graduates of the Yudo College; one a coach for the French Olympic Team), of Japanese ancestry, or American (including two who were former Olympic coaches and trainers) A final promotion and transfer to Washington, D.C. allowed Cooley to focus on a more permanent home for his pursuit of Judo.
While working for the Federal Government in Washington, D.C., Cooley was an adjunct faculty member for both The American University and the University of Maryland at College Park. During this time, Cooley was able to convince the Interior Department to build a dojo for Federal employees, and he began the Black Dragon Budo Club. Cooley also trained and taught in Columbia, MD, with a retired Marine, Bernard Gilbert, who ran his own school and with a variety of arts and instructors. It was that school, with its array of instructors (Muay Thai, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, and Ninjutsu), that broadened Cooley’s range of interests and skills further.
After settling in Cedar Rapids, Iowa upon retirement, Bill studied Gōjū-ryū Karate under Gene Phillips. This enhanced Cooley’s skills in strikes, blocks and kicks, among other things. At this time he also set up his own private dojo and began teaching Judo (sharing space with an Aikido Sensei). Cooley sent a 5-man team to the Iowa Games, and all of his students took 1st or 2nd place in the Judo competition.
Cooley has studied a variety of other martial arts simply to learn more. They have included Tai Chi, Goju Ryu Karate, Qi Gong, Ninjitsu and Taiho Jutsu. Cooley, and his wife, Joni, an accomplished artist, currently reside in Marion, Iowa.
Upon retirement from the Federal Government, Cooley took a job with the Wisconsin State Legislature in Madison. While there he was able to occasionally return to his old Sensei in Edgerton and renew a long acquaintance. Upon returning to Cedar Rapids, Cooley established a Judo club in Rockwell International’s recreation center. He ran this as the sole Sensei until he made a transition to retirement at the age of 77. Three years later, he resumed rebuilding the club after being urged by former students to return.
After ten years of running and teaching a Judo club at Rockwell, his space and equipment were repurposed as the result of a corporate realignment. At 84 years of age, he decided to begin volunteering as a tutor for
The Catherine McAuley Center where he works as a volunteer teaching English as a second language to people who want to become citizens of the U.S.. And his interest in martial arts is now expressed in work done for the USJJF and USTKJ serving on both their Masters’ Councils. In addition he continues to help, editing and offering some technical content, for martial art’s publications.
Shihan Cooley was honored by induction into the United States Traditional Judo Hall of Fame on March 9, 2019. This award was for being one of the early adopters of the Judo precepts of the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano.
His rank includes -
7th Dan in US Ju-Jitsu USJJF
7th Dan in Seiei-Han-Jujutsu Ju-Jitsu
7th Dan in Judo USA-TKJ
Contact Info -
William Cooley
E-Mail: gentlemaster10@gmail.com
Bill's Facebook Page
Life Member of the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) ®
Life Member of USA Traditional Kodokan Judo (USA-TKJ) ®
Member - United States Ju-Jitsu Senior Masters Caucus
Member - USA Traditional Kodokan Judo Senior Masters Caucus
Member - National Technical / Promotion Committee
USJJF & USA-TKJ Regional Representative for Iowa
Mr. Cooley has over 55 years experience in the Martial Arts.
Shihan Bill Cooley's martial arts history covers a span of over 55 years. He fought in state and national level Judo tournaments and retired from active competition with a Heavyweight Championship in 1983 at the Southeastern U.S. Open. He continued to study and practice various forms of Ju-Jutsu and achieved Black Belt ranks as well as Judo ranks.
After his service in the U.S. Navy in the late 1950s, Cooley began the study of Judo while also coaching track, field and cross-country. His first teacher was Neal Rosenberg. Neal was one of the servicemen who learned Judo in Japan and brought it back to the U.S. Cooley also studied with several of the U.S Olympic coaches and one Korean Olympic coach (for the French team), and attended a number of training seminars with the President of the USJA, Phil Porter. Cooley also took advantage of training opportunities in other martial arts. Often these were week-long sessions. He attended Camp Bushido in the 1980s and was inducted into the Martial Arts Masters, Pioneers and Legends Hall of Fame in 1999.
Upon leaving teaching and coaching at the secondary level, Cooley returned to the University of Wisconsin for a PhD. While there he taught Judo classes for students and worked with the UW Judo Club. Upon graduation he worked in Madison, WI for a few years and worked out at the Edgerton, WI Judo Club. Cooley studied under Rick Olstad (a member of the Wisconsin Black Belt Hall of Fame) who was an excellent coach and competitor. While in his competitive years, Cooley fought in matches in several states and did a special match for the Wisconsin State Fair against one of the state’s best black belts. He also fought in an exhibition match at Milwaukee’s SummerFest. These were large venues that surpassed the usual tournament audience.
A career with the Federal Government in 1981 took Cooley around the country. He worked out in well-respected dojos with experienced teachers. These Sensei were at times Korean (graduates of the Yudo College; one a coach for the French Olympic Team), of Japanese ancestry, or American (including two who were former Olympic coaches and trainers) A final promotion and transfer to Washington, D.C. allowed Cooley to focus on a more permanent home for his pursuit of Judo.
While working for the Federal Government in Washington, D.C., Cooley was an adjunct faculty member for both The American University and the University of Maryland at College Park. During this time, Cooley was able to convince the Interior Department to build a dojo for Federal employees, and he began the Black Dragon Budo Club. Cooley also trained and taught in Columbia, MD, with a retired Marine, Bernard Gilbert, who ran his own school and with a variety of arts and instructors. It was that school, with its array of instructors (Muay Thai, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, and Ninjutsu), that broadened Cooley’s range of interests and skills further.
After settling in Cedar Rapids, Iowa upon retirement, Bill studied Gōjū-ryū Karate under Gene Phillips. This enhanced Cooley’s skills in strikes, blocks and kicks, among other things. At this time he also set up his own private dojo and began teaching Judo (sharing space with an Aikido Sensei). Cooley sent a 5-man team to the Iowa Games, and all of his students took 1st or 2nd place in the Judo competition.
Cooley has studied a variety of other martial arts simply to learn more. They have included Tai Chi, Goju Ryu Karate, Qi Gong, Ninjitsu and Taiho Jutsu. Cooley, and his wife, Joni, an accomplished artist, currently reside in Marion, Iowa.
Upon retirement from the Federal Government, Cooley took a job with the Wisconsin State Legislature in Madison. While there he was able to occasionally return to his old Sensei in Edgerton and renew a long acquaintance. Upon returning to Cedar Rapids, Cooley established a Judo club in Rockwell International’s recreation center. He ran this as the sole Sensei until he made a transition to retirement at the age of 77. Three years later, he resumed rebuilding the club after being urged by former students to return.
After ten years of running and teaching a Judo club at Rockwell, his space and equipment were repurposed as the result of a corporate realignment. At 84 years of age, he decided to begin volunteering as a tutor for
The Catherine McAuley Center where he works as a volunteer teaching English as a second language to people who want to become citizens of the U.S.. And his interest in martial arts is now expressed in work done for the USJJF and USTKJ serving on both their Masters’ Councils. In addition he continues to help, editing and offering some technical content, for martial art’s publications.
Shihan Cooley was honored by induction into the United States Traditional Judo Hall of Fame on March 9, 2019. This award was for being one of the early adopters of the Judo precepts of the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano.
His rank includes -
7th Dan in US Ju-Jitsu USJJF
7th Dan in Seiei-Han-Jujutsu Ju-Jitsu
7th Dan in Judo USA-TKJ
Contact Info -
William Cooley
E-Mail: gentlemaster10@gmail.com
Bill's Facebook Page
