. Lost a great man today! My college coach and Mentor Ben Jobe passed away at home! I loved him so much! #RIP ðŸ™ðŸ½#SU1988– Avery Johnson (@CoachAvery6) March 11, 2017
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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