Lakers legend and Hall of Famer Jerry West passes away at 86

Remembering Jerry West: A Basketball Legend and West Virginia Icon

A Typical Summer Day Turned Somber

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Yesterday started like any other sunny, lazy summer day. I arrived at work at 9 am, checked my social media, and considered leaving early to walk my dog. Then my boss, Michael Fragale, walked into the office and told me that Jerry West had just died.

"Better get to work," he said.

It felt like a basketball had just crashed through my front window.

The Unexpected Loss of a Legend

As someone responsible for writing obituaries, I often have some material prepared in case a school legend passes. This was true for Hot Rod Hundley and Sam Huff, who had been in declining health before their deaths. But Jerry West, a man who always exhibited such energy and vitality? Peter Pans just don’t die, until they do.

Where do you start with a man who accomplished so much? What do you include and what do you leave out?

It's impossible to capture all of Jerry West's achievements in a short time. How can you encapsulate what he meant to the people of West Virginia and West Virginia University?

A Lifetime of Achievements

When you're unsure where to start, the best place is always the beginning. For me, that beginning was a file cabinet of interviews I've kept through the years, including several with West. These interviews, totaling about a half-dozen transcribed telephone calls, ranged from 20 minutes to a half-hour each.

Some people give you just 10 or 15 minutes before they lose interest and want to end the interview. But not Jerry. He always spent as much time as needed to answer my questions, especially about West Virginia, West Virginia University, and his Mountaineer basketball teammates.

Fond Memories of West Virginia Basketball

I once asked Jerry why there were so many outstanding basketball players in West Virginia in the mid-1950s. He recalled playing against the Kentucky all-star team, who were considered the best players in America. "We had the better players," he said. "We played them twice and beat them twice."

Jerry explained that the style of play and the coaching philosophy at the time contributed to the high caliber of players. "Most coaches inherit their coaching philosophy from those they played for," he said. "Maryland played a slowed-down game, but I couldn't play that way. It wouldn't have been fun for me."

At the time, West Virginia coach Fred Schaus and assistant coach George King were still young and athletic enough to give the players valuable pointers and tricks. King, who played on an NBA championship team, often went up against West in practice. "Maybe where I developed a little bit of confidence was because George King was there," Jerry noted.

Team Building and Success

Schaus and King excelled in team building, a lesson Jerry clearly learned and applied throughout his career. The achievements West accomplished later with the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers as an executive had their roots in those well-rounded West Virginia basketball teams of the late 1950s.

Schaus convinced Willie Akers to play a supporting role to Jerry West at WVU rather than being the leading scorer at another school. Willie had one simple desire: "I wanted to win."

A Lifetime of Empathy, Dignity, and Respect

Jerry West was an elite human being. He was someone we West Virginians aspired to be, and he understood the heavy responsibilities that entailed. For everyone out there in the Mountain State and beyond, do yourself a favor and study Jerry West's life. Study how he treated others with empathy, dignity, and respect. Study how he honored his commitments and conducted himself professionally.

The blueprint to a successful life is contained within Jerry West's personal story – the successes, the failures, the good times, and the heartaches. He epitomized all the values we West Virginians hold dear, which is why it’s so difficult to say goodbye.

Honoring Jerry West's Legacy

In honor of Jerry West's memory, lower your West Virginia flags until after West Virginia Day on June 20th. There will never be another Jerry West – ever.