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College basketball, HBCU legend Ben Jobe dead at age 84

The college basketball world has lost one of its giants. Long-time head coach Ben Jobe has passed away the age of 84, according to one of his prized pupils, Alabama coach Avery Johnson.

Jobe, a Fisk University alumnus was a head coach at six schools in five different decades. He is best known for his high-scoring, high-flying teams at Southern University, which included players like Johnson and Bobby Phills.

The high-water mark of his career came in 1993, when his 13th-seeded SWAC champs upset ACC champion Georgia Tech.

The Nashville native won 61 percent of his games as a coach, which included stints at Talladega College, Alabama State, South Carolina State, Alabama A&M, Southern, and Tuskegee. He also coached Division I independent Denver Pioneers for two seasons.

“He had a great basketball mind,” ex-Indiana Pacers President Donnie Walsh told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “But he combined it with the ability to teach and lead young men. I thought he was perfect because he had the right balance and toughness that you need to have, particularly with younger people.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jobe’s friends and family as well as his former players.

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