Former USA Today NBA reporter and SWAC Hall of Famer Roscoe Nance has died according to several reports online. According to the Carter Funeral Home website, the 71-year old Nance died at his home on Thursday.
Nance is a graduate of Tuskegee University and was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2015. He made his mark on the conference as a reporter for the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, MS from 1978-1985. Nance would later move on to USA Today where he covered the NBA for 15 seasons.
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Tributes and condolences began to pour out for Nance online early Thursday evening.
“I idolized him when I entered the NBA world as a writer and watched his every masterful move. Got to tell him thank you and I loved him on his podcast last year. Thanks Mr. Nance,” wrote ESPN writer Marc J. Spears on Twitter.
In retirement, Nance continued to write for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. As recently as December 19, he posted a preview piece about North Carolina A&T’s propensity on reaching the Celebration Bowl.
Nance was a native of Union Springs, Alabama and was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.
In a 2015 press release about his induction into the SWAC Hall of Fame, Nance discussed his fondness for covering the league.
“I’m honored to have been placed in a time to have witnessed some of those great moments,” Nance said. “Being inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame is really the highlight of my career. I never expected anything like this.”