Thomas Robert "Bob" Hayes, an assistant boys basketball coach at
Austin LBJ for 18 years, suffered a heart attack at the arena on Dec. 27 before the Jaguars played their first game of the Fort Worth ISD Coca-Cola Classic against Grand Prairie. He died hours later at a nearby hospital and the team was told after their 70-41 win over the Gophers. Hayes was 61.
The shaken team and head coach Freddie Roland said that the veteran assistant would have wanted the team to continue and compete to the best of their abilities, which they did by topping Crowley, 60-53, in the championship game.
During the tournament, Roland said that Hayes was like a "big brother, not just for me but for the whole school."
Hayes was born in Troy, N.Y. and was a graduate of Brockport State University of New York. He earned a master's degree in education from Southwest Texas State. Hayes served in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood before beginning his career as an educator and coach.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Maria Ariadnac, and three children.
