Coach Robert Hughes, Winningest High School Basketball Coach In US, Dies At 96

Coach Robert Hughes, the winningest high school basketball coach in the U.S., died on Tuesday at the age of 96. I grew up with Coach, as he was the father of my best friend, Carlye J. Hughes. As such, I’ve spent most of my life being a part of the family and an ‘honorary Hughes.’ I spent countless hours at the Hughes home. From very early on, I called Carlye’s mother, Jackie – Mother, and I called her dad, Coach. In Texas, being a high school sports coach is a title pretty much equal to that of Doctor, Reverend, or elected official – IYKYK. This is Coach with Mother on vacation in Las Vegas:

I didn’t have to play basketball to be impacted by his boundless gifts of leadership and care, which he displayed not just as a coach but also as a husband and father. All three of his children are born leaders – it runs in the DNA. His children, like his incredible winning record, remain his legacy. Between 1963 and 2003, Coach won five Texas state championships. And I’m not kidding when I say he retired as THE all-time winningest high school basketball coach in the entire country. His final record was 1,333 wins and 264 losses. In 2003, Hughes was inducted into the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2017. The Basketball Hall of Fame issued this statement today on his passing:

“The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is saddened by the loss of legendary high school basketball coach Robert Hughes.

“Coach Hughes’ record of success at Fort Worth Dunbar is unparalleled, and he opened doors for Black athletes across Texas.

“His contributions to basketball will live on in the lives of the young men he coached and at the Naismith Hall of Fame.”

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is saddened by the loss of legendary high school basketball coach Robert Hughes. Coach Hughes’ record of success at Fort Worth Dunbar is unparalleled, and he opened doors for Black athletes across Texas. His contributions to basketball will… pic.twitter.com/moRHD5hArT

— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) June 12, 2024

This is the homepage of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (our hometown newspaper) today. Rest in power, Coach.