GRAMBLING, LA – Bob Hopkins, a legend at Grambling State University for his basketball and coaching achievements, passed away May 15 at the age of 80 in Bellevue, Washington. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Beverly, four children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
“It’s certainly a loss of one of Grambling’s legends,” said Obadiah Simmons, interim athletic director at Grambling. “Hopkins is fondly remembered as Li’l Abner by all those who are familiar with Grambling State University basketball. It’s such a loss for the university of one of our greats, and we send our condolences to the Hopkins family. He had such an outstanding career here at Grambling.”
Hopkins was a native of Jonesboro and a star basketball and baseball player at Jonesboro High School. Hopkin’s cousin, Collie J. Nicholson, then Grambling’s sports information director, helped recruit Hopkins to Grambling, where he played under legendary Coach Eddie G. Robinson, who served as both the men’s football and basketball coach at the time.
Hopkins averaged 29.8 points and 17 rebounds at Grambling, led the Tigers to two Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and was twice named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American. He scored the second most points (3,759) in college basketball history. Nicholson gave him the nickname “Li’l Abner” in press releases.
After Grambling, he went on to play four seasons with the NBA’s Syracuse Nationals from 1956-1960. After a knee injury ended his professional basketball career, Hopkins used his knowledge of the game to become a successful coach at Prairie View A&M University, Alcorn State University and Xavier University of Louisiana.
“Bob was an extraordinary player and also a good coach. He touched a lot of young men’s lives. He recruited a lot of talent, because he could recognize talent. A lot of guys from Xavier have the utmost respect for him,” said Aaron James, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Grambling and a former professional basketball player with the New Orleans Jazz.
As a teenager growing up in New Orleans, James and his friends would play basketball at Xavier University, where he first met Hopkins, who was Xavier’s head basketball coach at the time. “For me, growing up a New Orleans boy, Bob was always willing to teach young people things he knew about the game, and I knew quite a bit about basketball just from being around Bob Hopkins,” James said.
Hopkins later returned to the NBA as an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1974 and even served a 22-game run as head coach in the 1977-1978 season. Hopkins returned to the college scene after two years as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks.
He made his way home to Grambling, where he served as the head coach of the women’s basketball team from 1982-1984 and later the men’s basketball team from 1986-1989. He led Grambling to Southwestern Athletic Conference championships in the 1986-87 and 1988-89 seasons.
After a 17-month run at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Hopkins retired from coaching in 1991 and returned to his home in Mercer Island, Washington. Hopkins was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1978 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
A memorial service for Hopkins will be held following the 11 a.m. mass at Saint Monica Catholic Church on Mercer Island, Washington, on Friday, May 22.
###
Media Contact:
Office of Communications
318-274-2866
mediarelations@gram.edu