THE OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA LIONS

A native of Booneville, Miss., Copeland played basketball at UNA in 1975-76 and 1976-77 on teams with a combined 43-13 record. In his first season at UNA, the Lions went 19-6 for the most wins in school history. He averaged 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. He averaged 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, leading the team in rebounding and field goal percentage and finishing second in scoring.
 
The next year, 1976-77, Copeland was selected All-GSC and UNA went 24-7 and advanced to the Final Four. He averaged 12.4 points and 8.9 rebounds and led the team in rebounding, steals (2.5) and assists (3.7). Not only did his 62.3 field goal percentage lead the team, but it set UNA and Gulf South Conference records.He averaged 12.4 points and 8.9 rebounds. UNA hosted an NCAA Regional at home for the first time and posted wins over Southern University of Baton Rouge (105-88) and Troy (77-70). The Lions then hosted Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo at Flowers in the NCAA Quarterfinal and won 67-64 in OT. UNA lost to Randolph Macon in NCAA semifinal in Springfield, Mass., 82-67 but then won a consolation game over Sacred Heart (93-77) to finish third in nation.

Copeland was also named to the Birmingham Post-Herald All-Alabama Small College Basketball team andwas team MVP.
              
Copeland had enlisted in U.S. Air Force after his high school graduation and served a four-year tour (1969-73),  including two years in Vietnam. He served as a communications specialist, encrypting and decrypting top secret communications, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He received the Air Force Commendation Medal on June 27, 1971.
               

In 1973 he enrolled at Northeast Mississippi Community College and played basketball and then joined the UNA program in 1975.

He graduated from UNA in 1977 with a degree in Sociology. He then got a Master's degree in Administration from UNA in 1978 before beginning a life-long career in the aluminum business. Some of his corporate positions included - Vice President for Corporate Human Resources/Labor Relations at Wise Alloys, 2012-14 (Muscle Shoals), Vice President of Casting Operations at Alabama Casting Reclamation, 2011-12 (Muscle Shoals), Special Project Manager Recycling Specification Aluminum Alloys North America, 2007-09 (Beachwood, Ohio) and Vice President of Operations at Wabash Allloys 2001-07 (Wabash, Indiana). He retired in 2015.

He is a 2012 inductee into the Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
              
His son Freddie Copeland, Jr., also played basketball at North Alabama and is a 2006 UNA graduate with a degree in Business Administration. His son Adrian is a 2010 UNA graduate with a degree in Computer Information Systems Enterprise.