News-Record.com

Got this via e-mail today. Another great story about a great person.

The Best Ambassador
By Jill Bader, Wake Forest Class of 2005

I wasn’t lucky enough to know Coach Prosser personally. He was never my coach. I never sat next to Skip Prosser at dinner or a lunch and get to know his thoughts on the team or his philosophy on life. Instead, I was just a regular undergraduate at Wake Forest from ‘01 through ‘05—trying to figure out how to find family far from home, what my place in the world was supposed to be and how college was going to get me there.

I was never much of a basketball fan, either. I learned most of the rules of the game watching the Deacons from the stands with new friends from my freshman year.

But last week’s news of Coach Prosser’s death saddened me and immediately brought to my mind how much he was a perfect example of the soul of Wake Forest. He was the best ambassador. He had a gift for showing the world what it was about our school that made going there so special. His attitude on and off the court unified the students and fans, and his demeanor on TV was something to look up to. He made us, the students, proud – regardless of the final score.

Soon enough I became a fan who would camp out for big games to get good seats. When Coach Prosser would bring the team to the parking lot for ticket pick-ups with pizzas, I would be the first to cheer and smile. Sometimes, I would listen to games on the radio when I drove back home to Tennessee for the holidays. One year I trekked to New Jersey to the Sweet 16 to cheer on our team.

I started to really love the game, love the team and love my school. Looking back, I know Coach Prosser had a lot to do with that for me and I’m sure for many other students—because he brought a unified purpose and a pride of ownership for a team and school that had integrity and respect.

One time I ran into Coach Prosser in the school cafeteria and just told him, “Great game, coach.” He turned around, smiled and replied, “Thank you. The fans last night were great. We’re your team—the team for the students. Keep up the good work and be loud—we really like that.”

And that’s what I think most of the alumni I know will remember about Coach Prosser.

What we remember is this: Coach Prosser helped make us proud of Wake Forest. He made us proud of our school, and made us very proud to be a Demon Deacon.

We’ll miss him.