Coach Bob Spencer Death – Dead | Obituary – Passed Away
Bob Spencer Death – Dead: A great loss was made known to InsideEko. As friends and families of the deceased are mourning the passing of their loved and cherished Bob Spencer.
Having heard about this great loss, the family of this individual is passing through pains, mourning the unexpected passing of their beloved.
This departure was confirmed through social media posts made by Twitter users who pour out tributes, and condolences to the family of the deceased.
I have been told that Bob Spencer passed away this morning. Spencer was the women’s basketball coach at Fresno State from 1981-1993. He won 198 games, the most wins of any coach in program history.
I have been told that Bob Spencer passed away this morning. Spencer was the women’s basketball coach at Fresno State from 1981-1993. He won 198 games, the most wins of any coach in program history.
— Andrew Marden (@andrewmarden) August 30, 2020
Bob Spencer is Fresno State’s all-time winningest WBB coach with 198 wins, 5 all-Americans, and ended his career with 578 wins. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, coaches, and players. As we morn his passing we celebrate his legacy. #RIPCOACH
Bob Spencer is Fresno State’s all-time winningest WBB coach with 198 wins, 5 all-Americans, and ended his career with 578 wins. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, coaches, and players. As we morn his passing we celebrate his legacy. #RIPCOACH pic.twitter.com/HMlHYj1Sw0
— Coach White (@CoachJWhite) August 31, 2020
Aw, man.
I really do not want to write another one of these.
Bob Spencer, a women’s basketball coaching legend and friend, passed away Sunday—only two weeks after men’s basketball head coach Boyd Grant died and one week after football player Vince Wesson passed.
😢😢😢
Like Boyd and Vince, Coach Spencer had a big impact on my life, adopting me into his family of coaches and players.
I worked in the Fresno State sports information office and served as the right-hand man to women’s sports SID Barry Smith.
Consequently, I became close with the coaches—including assistant Bill Fennelly, who now is an elite NCAA head coach at Iowa State—and served whatever role asked of me: from statistician to scrimmage body to house sitter.
My favorite times, which happened weekly, was when Spence would pop by the Sports Info office and ask, “Darryl, you wanna go to Grandy’s?”
I never said No to Coach & my favorite fried chicken restaurant.
It was the same routine every time, but it never got old.
If Coach found a penny in his path, he always stopped to pick it up and later catalogue the finding on index card back at the office.
If he saw kids at Grandy’s, he’d help them create mischief.
If he saw adults, he’d soon enough win them over as fans, which later swelled the South and North Gyms by the hundreds, going from empty to 200 to 1800 capacity in no time.
When he saw the elderly women servers who refilled your Grandy’s tea, he was always kind.
Coach Spencer was the #1 women’s basketball coaching pioneer—starting programs in Iowa in the ‘60s, winning a national 1981 AIAW title at William Penn, transforming Fresno State from a 4-21 program to 8, 15 & 18 wins the next three seasons and 20+ wins three consecutive years after that.
He won with an eclectic group of All-Americans who brought the crowds out, whether it was 5-4 dynamo Wendy Martell, six-foot powerhouse Shannon McGee, track star Yvette Roberts or 6-6 center Simone Srubek. Spence even had a ball handler, Sandy “Spin” Slade, who could spin eight basketballs simultaneously on her body.
He brought the game, the players, the crowds and the national spotlight.
For that, he will always be remembered.
We are still working on getting more details about the death, as a family statement on the death is yet to be released.