Skip Prosser of Wake Forest...

On a side note, today was the first day in the office for new Wake Forest Asst. AD for Media Relations Steve Shutt.

I'm not sure if many people can say they had as bad of a first day as Steve can.

 

Damn. I think it was in Katz's article that he wrote that Skip was looking forward in meeting the new SID (or Asst. AD for Media Relations).

Hoeppner, Coolbaugh, Prosser. As tough as it is to say it, yeah, life is unfair and cruel. It's how do we live with it and learn from it.

It should never take a significant death like Skip to remind us everytime about life. We should take it to heart individually every single day. If the day becomes a grind, we should remember or reflect on the lighter side of life. It shouldn't have to take a death to remind us. If things are going well, we always think back to how tough it was to get through it and we appreciate it. It shouldn't have to take a death to remind us.

Skip lived his life and always remembered what he went through to achieve what he set out to do in his life. Skip was a life worth appreciating because he was himself and he treated people with respect and admiration.

 

Damn, Skip. Condolences to the entire WFU community on a sad, sad day.

 

I'm still in shock. Have been floored ever since the first call -- it just had to be a rumor. No way could this be true. I covered Skip at several stops along his journey and he was truly a coach to appreciate.

Skip was one of the few coaches who actually enjoyed the writer-coach exchange -- if you could hold your end of the conversation. You know that old piece of reporters' advice that's bounced around this board -- when you write, send 'em to the dictionary once? Skip did that, too -- the guy's vocabulary was astounding. Jim Grobe still calls them "Prosser words."

Unlax in pacification, Skip.

 

Back when I was with the AP, Skip was incredibly fun to work with. He once said he was "an access guy," and he didn't understand why so many others closed practices and tried to hide from the media.

My favorite memory of him came from the 2005-06 season, after Chris Paul had left and the Deacs were struggling a bit. Duke was pulling away at the end of the first half at the Joel, and J.J. Redick swished a 3 right before the buzzer. My seat was next to the Wake bench, and as the players were warming up for the second half, Skip came over to me and said, "Did Redick travel?" No question which play he was talking about. I smiled and said, "I thought so," and he also smiled and nodded. He said, "How come you and I can see that but they missed it?"

I only knew him in his role as a coach, but by all accounts, he was a pretty special person. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

 

Lenox Rawlings weighs in: http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_ColumnistArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352156365

 

Let me second the notion put forth by D-3 Fan and others: We don't know who's going to be around tomorrow and who won't. Make the most of each and every day. Enjoy and savor the things that are important to you.

 

If I remember a story that Killick told me correctly, when Prosser was at Xavier, the local radio station used to run a feature about Skip's vocabulary. They would run an audio clip that used a large word and then would give the definition from the dictionary.

Sounds hilarious.

 

Skip was one of the good ones. Not just as a coach, but as a person.

As a Wake Forest grad, I can say without an ounce of hyperbole that win or lose, good or bad, I was always proud to have Skip Prosser representing my alma mater. The Wake Forest family is hurting right now, but we are strengthened by the memories he left behind. Skip Prosser was a good coach but a better human being, and I think the country is realizing that now in the wake of his untimely passing. The outpouring of support and admiration for this man has been overwhelming and I suspect it will continue to build in the weeks and months to come.

Absolutely no one with whom Skip ever had acquaintance and/or friendship has had anything but compliments and kind words to say about him. Precious few people leave that as a legacy.

 

Steve's one of the best, and long deserving of an opportunity at a bigger school.

But wow, what a first week for him. Not that it even compares to that of Prosser's family and friends, but still, sucks for Steve.