Terry Cooper has two spells as manager of Exeter City. The first was when he joined on 9 May1988, and was successful in taking the Club to  promotion as champions of Division 4. He left on 1st August 1991 to join Birmingham City as their manager.

He returned to manage the Grecians on 21 January 1994 after the departure of Alan Ball and oversaw the return of Exeter to the bottom tier of the football League. He then managed them during one of the worse ever seasons for Exeter when they finished bottom of the entire football league, and were saved from relation to the Conference by Macclesfield Town’s ground not being up to league standard.