Autumn Cooper, a senior from Superior, has been named the seventh recipient of the Jeff Sauer Humanitarian Award, the Coach Sauer Foundation announced.
The Jeff Sauer Humanitarian Award was presented Thursday at the Wisconsin High School Coaches Association dinner in Middleton. The annual award hopes to encourage community service among girls and boys high school hockey players in the state of Wisconsin. It is named after the legendary former University of Wisconsin coach and hockey ambassador who passed away in February, 2017. The Jeff Sauer Award’s goal is to recognize good high school hockey players being great people.
Cooper is a worthy example. Autumn, the first two-time finalist in the seven-year history of the award, is the president of the Superior student council, a member of the National Honor Society and was selected by Superior teachers to serve on the “Hope Squad”, a suicide prevention organization. She organized and participated in the Salvation Army bell-ringing program and also organized a canned food drive, which led to a truckload of canned goods for the local homeless shelter. Autumn has also done volunteer work with Superior’s youth hockey program, organized a “Learn to Skate program” and aspires to be an educator and a coach.
Cooper led the state in scoring this season with 33 goals, 34 assists and 67 points and has led Superior in points for three straight seasons. As a junior she was an all-state forward on Superior’s runner-up team at the WIAA state tournament. Cooper has committed to play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with Bemidji State next season. She also competes in golf and soccer at Superior.
“I think she’s one of the hardest working kids I have ever met,” said Superior coach Doug Trentor. “First in and last out, she is so humble, makes everybody around her better. She’s one of the all time kids that I want to coach.”
The other finalists for the award are Brooke Olson, a senior forward from Somerset who played for the Western Wisconsin Stars; Jack Drout, a senior goalie from Menomonie, and Daniel Linn, a freshman goalie from River Falls. The Jeff Sauer Award is modeled after the Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen and seeks to recognize players, male or female, who contribute to local communities in a true humanitarian spirit.
After retiring from college hockey, Jeff worked extensively with disabled hockey players, He coached the U.S. sled hockey team to a gold medal at the Winter Paralympics in 2014 and in his seven years as coach, Team USA won two gold medals at the Sledge Hockey World Championships.
Additionally, Sauer was president of the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association. He helped select the last five U.S. Deaflympic Ice Hockey Teams and led the team as head coach at three Winter Deaflympics, including a gold medal at the 2007 Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Coach Sauer Foundation was very impressed with all the candidates and their stories of student athletes who deserve notice for reasons that ultimately are more important than mere personal statistics.
Madison Ice Arena displays a replica of the Jeff Sauer Award in its lobby to honor Cooper and all past winners. Superior High School will also receive a plaque to display to commemorate Autumn’s achievements.
