Former Vanderbilt University basketball coach Roy Skinner passed away Monday because of respiratory failure at age 80, the Tennessean reported Tuesday.
Skinner, the all-time winningest coach in Commodores’ history, ran the team for 16 seasons between the late 1950s and 1970s, compiling a 278-135 record and an astonishing 81.5 winning percentage on Vanderbilt’s home court.
Despite the winning ways, the Peducah, Ky., native is remembered for more than just his on-court success.
Skinner was the first coach to break the Southeastern Conference’s color barrier when he recruited Perry Wallace in 1966. Five years later, fellow SEC team Alabama won a league title with an all-African-American starting five.
The four-time SEC Coach of the Year oversaw a basketball program that continuously generated excitement among the Vanderbilt faithful. The university’s Memorial Gym reportedly expanded from 6,200 to 15,000 seats during his tenure.
"He really set a standard of excellence and created a tradition of winning at Vanderbilt," current Commodores coach Kevin Stallings said.
"Roy treated his players with respect and encouraged you to have fun and play hard," former guard Jerry Southwood said. "He didn't make the game too complicated.”
Skinner was just 28 years old when he first coached the Commodores in place of ailing coach Bob Polk in 1958. He took over the role full time after Polk retired in 1961.
