JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A celebration of life for former Tougaloo men’s basketball coach Lafayette Stribling was held on Saturday. He was known as Coach “Strib” to many athletes and friends and served as an inspiration for Mississippians. 

He led the bulldogs to five national tournaments during his seven-year career at Tougaloo and was entered into the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2006 and named Gulf Coast Athletic Conference coach of the year three times.

Coach Stribling is famously remembered as the legendary coach who took the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils to play against Duke University for a championship game in 1986. Teammates from that 1986 Championship Team said this was the worst news to receive.

“It was not a pleasant call you know it was one you know one day things like this probably would occur, but he was just so full of life until you know this kind of thing just wasn’t going to happen to Coach Stribling he would be around us forever but I want everyone to know today you know he lives through us and this life of his will continue,” said House of Representatives, Team Member of the 1986 Championship Team Robert Sanders.

Fun fact about the Mississippi Legend he was not only a basketball coach, Coach Strib was also superb at coaching baseball.