It was Babe Ruth, the iconic baseball outfielder and pitcher, who once uttered the words: "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."

That profound statement was uttered by the American sporting great, who played 22 seasons of Major League Baseball, almost 100 years ago.

Yet Ruth's proclamation is as pertinent now as it was the day the Maryland man scudded his last home run.

For Motherwell FC, many, such as all-time leading goalscorer Hughie Ferguson, post-war appearance record holder Joe Wark and iconic forward Willie Pettigrew, to name but a few, have walked through the main entrance on Fir Park Street and gone on to be heroes to those who hold the Lanarkshire club dearest.

However, few left an ever-lasting impression like Davie Cooper. One of the stands at Fir Park bears his name and is a constant reminder of his legacy within the club - along with the late Phil O'Donnell.

Brought to Motherwell in 1989 by Tommy McLean for the modest fee of £50,000, the former Rangers superstar arrived as a veteran who had already achieved great success in his career at Ibrox.

Nobody could have expected the impact the 33-year-old would make in a five-year spell that saw him help Well to their first Scottish Cup victory since 1952 and take the Steelmen into Europe for the first time.

It was a period of prosperity at Fir Park that was witnessed first hand by Stevie Kirk, another of Motherwell's Scottish Cup players who achieved hero status after scoring from the bench in every game en route to that famous 4-3 win over Dundee United back in 1991.

And 20 years on from Cooper's tragic death, he recalled the man he proudly calls not just a valued team-mate but a treasured friend.

He said: "I think coming to Motherwell and getting away from the bright lights of a big-time club, he was a lot more relaxed. He was great for the younger guys such as Phil O'Donnell and Jamie Dolan, God rest them.

"It was great for them to look up to him. I think everyone was in a state of disbelief that he was actually coming to Motherwell.

"But it was a fantastic period for the club, and for Tommy to pull that off was a great coup. I don't think the fans could believe it either until they saw him in the claret and amber.

"He was a Motherwell guy, a Motherwell player and a Motherwell ambassador."

Cooper quickly became a key cog in an industrious side with a hard-working reputation earned under McLean. It was then Scottish football saw a different side to him.

"Coop was a very humble man," explained Kirk. "You would never have thought he was a superstar at Rangers. He just turned up and did his training.

"He was very fit and he grafted. He didn't just stand on the wing and say 'give me the ball' he had to work hard and to be honest he hardly broke sweat."

That workman-like quality did not detract from Cooper's wizardry, however, as Kirk explains.

"He came with a reputation of having a great left foot. Coop never had pace, but he had wonderful knowledge. He knew where to be and he knew where you were.

"It was a phenomenal experience to play beside him. You knew when you gave him the ball you were going to get it back. You were constantly trying to channel the ball to him.

"I remember watching a documentary about Barcelona and Xavi and Iniesta both said their first thought when they get the ball is give it to Messi. It was the same for us with Coop. The second you got the ball you thought 'right, get it to him' because you knew he would produce something. Nine times out of 10 he'd do it. It was frightening."

For many Well players of that era, the most tangible piece of success came on Saturday, May 18, 1991, when the Lanarkshire club triumphed 4-3 over Dundee United in extra-time in what is still regarded as one of the finest Scottish Cup Finals ever played.

It was a triumph over adversity for Motherwell on different levels.

On the field, they had to defeat champions Aberdeen at Pittodrie, overcome Falkirk and then squeeze past Morton after two legs and a penalty shootout, before beating Celtic 4-2 in a Hampden replay.

Off it, the town was coming to terms with the impending closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks. Kirk recalled: "Coop knew how much the cup win meant to the club and the town, but it also meant so much to him.

"I spoke to him after the final and we talked about the medals and caps he had won. I remember him saying 'You know, this one takes a lot of beating'.

"That was because he did it away from a big club, we weren't expected to do it but we did it on merit. He took that to heart."

Away from the pitch Cooper and Kirk formed a friendship that would outlive their time together at Motherwell.

It was a bond that lasted until March 23, 1995, when Cooper tragically passed away a day after suffering a brain haemorrhage at Broadwood Stadium.

Kirk, now general manager at Albion Rovers, can still recall the moment when news of his friend's death reached him. He said: "I'll never forget the day they turned his machine off.

"I was at Falkirk at the time and sitting in the dressing room with Maurice Johnson and John Clark when Maurice got a message to say that Coop had passed away.

"It was a nightmare. Twenty years have flown by but Coop's legacy will always be here.

"Ask any Motherwell fan to name their greatest-ever team and he will be the first name on everyone's list."

Davie Cooper. Well admired. Well loved. Well legend.

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