Draft:Cooper Gardner
Baseball Player, Death, Michigan History, Tragedy, Brain Bleed, Traumatic Brain Damage, Bath.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cooper Martin Gardner (October 10, 2004 – May 2, 2021) was a student athlete at Bath High School in Bath, Michigan who died following a traumatic brain injury sustained during a junior varsity baseball game on April 21, 2021. His death was the first connected to a Michigan school baseball game since the Michigan High School Athletic Association began tracking sports-related deaths in 1989, making it the first recorded baseball-related death in Michigan school sports history.[1][2]
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Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Anolition (talk) 19:36, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
Early life
Gardner was born on October 10, 2004, in Lansing, Michigan to Kris and Christy Gardner. He attended Bath Community Schools from kindergarten and was described by those who knew him as having an infectious smile and a gift for connecting with people of all ages. He was a devoted Michigan State University Spartans fan and a member of the Bath High School baseball team, wearing jersey number 17. He also worked at Conquest Fitness in the Bath area.[3]
Death
On April 21, 2021, during a junior varsity baseball game against Portland St. Patrick High School (Portland, Michigan), Gardner was covering second base when he collided with a base runner attempting to steal. Junior varsity coach Michael Collins described the play: Gardner dropped down to catch the ball and tag the runner, but the runner's knee collided with Gardner's head and the runner fell on top of him with his full body weight. Gardner was knocked unconscious for approximately 40 minutes. The other player was not injured.[4]
Gardner was transported to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing where he spent six days in the pediatric intensive care unit with a traumatic brain injury and heart and lung complications. He was moved to a regular ward on April 28 and later discharged home to continue recovery. He died unexpectedly at his home on May 2, 2021. He was 16 years old.[5]
Michigan High School Athletic Association spokesperson Geoff Kimmerly expressed condolences on behalf of the association, stating the organization had been in daily contact with the school since the injury occurred.[2]
Community response
Bath High School Principal Matt Dodson issued a statement following Gardner's death: "Cooper Gardner embodied every admirable characteristic one could ever hope to instill in a young man. He was kind, humble, intelligent, respectful, and honest. We love you Coop. Love and peace to the Gardner family."[6]
The Bath community rallied immediately. Gardner's aunt Elizabeth Milne organized a GoFundMe campaign for the family's hospital and funeral expenses, which is still open. Teammates sold #CoopStrong t-shirts, wristbands, stickers, and more. Friends, family, and teammates gathered at the Bath High School baseball field to honor his memory the day after his death. This included sidewalk chalk art, cups in the baseball fields fence, and more.[7][8]
Junior varsity coach Michael Collins told the Lansing State Journal: "If you had a bad day, you could go to practice and see his smiling face and all is right in the world. As smart as can be, had everything in front of him. Good student, humble kid, he was just way too young."Both the varsity and freshmen baseball teams chose to finish playing the rest of the season in his honor and that baseball was Coopers favorite sport.[9]
In 2022, a memorial baseball game was held at McLane Baseball Stadium at Michigan State University between Bath and Portland St. Patrick, the same two teams involved in the 2021 collision. Varsity coach Scott Peru said of Gardner: "He hasn't left my mind honestly since last season." Cooper's parents and sister attended his class graduation ceremony in 2022 where an empty seat was reserved among his classmates and a diploma was accepted in his honor.[10]
In May 2024, community member Christine Hope McCallister presented a proposal to the Bath Community Schools Board of Education requesting the baseball field be named in Gardner's honor. The proposal noted that existing memorials at the school included an unmaintained planter at the baseball field, a small line on a shared sign, and a photo cycling through the school athletics website.[11] The proposal was not approved by the Board of Education.[11] However, Bath Community Schools hosts an annual track and field invitational honoring Jonathan(Jon) Nugent, a 1999 Bath High School graduate who died suddenly on May 17, 2001, at age 20 while playing softball at Alma College in Alma, Michigan.[12]
Legacy
Gardner is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, 14378 Webster Road, Bath, Michigan. He is survived by his parents Kris and Christy Gardner, his sister Kalleigh, and his grandparents Sandra Comstock and Roger Gardner.[3]