Guy Ricker Cooter (Class of 2007)

Guy came out of Kingsport, TN, where he was born in 1935, to settle in Danville, where he graduated George Washington High School in 1953. Following his graduation from the University of Virginia he served in the United States Marine Corps. Guy returned to Danville from Camp Lejune, married a teacher and started a family before moving to Richmond to work for the State. Guy became involved in the development of youth soccer as a referee from his home in Surreywood and became the first VHSL Commissioner and Assignor for RISOA in 1988. At the beginning he was a recruiter scouring recreational youth league pitches for soccer parents turned into house league referees for their association youth players aged 5-19 to become VHSL certified referees. PVYSL matches played at Providence Middle School were practically in his back yard, and he could be seen there on Saturdays recruiting officials for private and public scholastic matches growing in numbers annually. After establishing RISOA as one of the best respected VHSL sport’s official groups in the Commonwealth, he handed the reigns over to two individuals in 1995 to perform the responsibilities of Commissioner and Assignor that he had handled alone for seven years. Leaving his State position as well he retired to Danville to while his hours away on Lake Gaston with the fishing rod given to him by RISOA in gratitude for his years of service to the soccer community.