When it came to success in the basketball arena, California State University, Northridge varsity center Mark Cooley ‘68 (Spanish) was in a class by himself. Through hard work and perseverance, he started his CSUN career on the freshman team but ended up writing his name all over the team record books as a scoring and rebounding double threat. In 1985, he was inducted into the CSUN Hall of Fame.
Sadly, Mark passed away in 2024. To honor his memory, Diana Cooley, his wife of nearly 56 years, recently helped put him in the record books once again with a philanthropic triple-double: three charitable gifts, totaling more than $250,000, to support CSUN Basketball and to ensure future generations of CSUN athletes to thrive.
A Star On (and Off) the Court
Mark Cooley’s basketball success was something of a surprise — he barely made Monroe High School’s junior varsity squad. He worked hard, got better, and by his senior year, he was starting on the high school varsity team. He wasn’t on anyone’s radar for college ball, but Valley State (now known as CSUN) was recruiting a teammate, and he caught coach Jerry Ball’s eye.
He started on CSUN’s freshman team, then worked his way up to stardom. He averaged about eight minutes per game as a sophomore on the varsity team. By his junior year, he was the starting center. His senior year, he was named first team all-conference in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, first team All-District 8 and Honorable Mention All-Coast.
Mark Cooley was the first CSUN player ever to record at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, and he posted 23 career double-doubles — still the 10th most in CSUN history. He is also ranked seventh in single-season rebound average, with 10.5 per game. In a 1967 game at Fullerton, he scored 40 points in a game, the third-most in team history, and collected 22 rebounds, tied for fourth-most in team history.
That drive for excellence served him in his professional life beyond college, as well. After earning a master’s in education in 1971 (also from CSUN) and dedicating himself to a career in bilingual education, Mark was recognized as the California Association for Bilingual Education’s Distinguished Administrator of the Year in 2002. When he retired three years later, he had risen to the position of director of bilingual services and instructional support for the San Gabriel Valley’s Azusa Unified School District.
“Mark was passionate about language and using it as a tool to help kids,” Diana Cooley said. “He was as much a leader at his job as he was on the basketball court.”
CSUN Supporters for Life
Mark and Diana met at CSUN in 1967, when it was still known as San Fernando Valley State College; she was studying kinesiology, which as a lover of sports gave her ample time in the gym. It was there that the couple met: She was a song leader and he was a standout player, and they hit it off from the start. They were married in 1968 and they never forgot the institution that brought them together.
“We would come to Matadors games all the time, and we got involved in giving back; I ended up serving as the president of the athletic association board,” Cooley said. “We wanted to do everything we could to help CSUN athletes — the university ranks among first in the nation for first-generation college graduates, and giving them a chance to attend a school like this while accessing such a wonderful athletics department has always been a top priority.”
The couple received a Volunteer Service Award in 2014 for their efforts on CSUN Athletics’ behalf. As Cooley sees it, their unwavering commitment to Matadors basketball was a smart investment in strengthening CSUN overall.
“As a song leader I saw the benefits of being ‘rah, rah, rah,” she said. “Supporting CSUN basketball was a win-win because athletics brings people together and it can also lift up the school’s educational mission.”
Leaving a Legacy
Mark’s death left a hole in Diana’s life, but today she carries on his memory and their shared love for CSUN Athletics. Her most recent gifts include $75,000 to seed endowment scholarships for the men’s basketball programs; $150,000 as a bequest in her will to support that endowment; and about $27,000 to offer additional assistance to student athletes.
“It’s difficult to overstate the impact of Diana’s generosity and the ways in which it will make a difference for our players, our team and our school,” says Andy Newman, the Matadors’ men’s basketball coach. “It’s a fitting tribute to Mark and an incredible way to give back to CSUN Athletics.”
Diana also continues to support CSUN basketball with her time and effort.
“I volunteer on campus at least once per week, welcoming alumni, donors and season ticket holders to special events and games. I make phone calls encouraging them to attend,” she said. “I want them to know how genuinely happy I am to see them there and how much it means to the team when they show up.”
For Cooley, staying connected to CSUN Athletics offers a meaningful opportunity to ensure Mark’s legacy is not forgotten.
“Mark went from being the last man chosen on his high school JV team to being a standout player at CSUN. Theexperience had such an impact on his life,” she said. “I’m proud that our recent gifts will ensure his name is not forgotten, and that they will help inspire other young players to strive, and to achieve, like he did.”
To support CSUN Athletics or to start a fund of your own, please contact the CSUN Office of Development at (818) 677-2786 or development@csun.edu.
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