Jack Cobb

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Jack Cobb
Jack Cobb (1924).jpg
Personal information
Born(1904-08-04)August 4, 1904
Durham, North Carolina
DiedSeptember 9, 1966(1966-09-09) (aged 62)
Greenville, North Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolWoodberry Forest
(Woodberry Forest, Virginia)
CollegeNorth Carolina (1923–1926)
PositionForward
Career highlights and awards

John Blackwell Cobb (August 4, 1904 – September 9, 1966) was an American college basketball player at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cobb is one of eight Tar Heels basketball players who have had their jersey retired, and was nicknamed "Mr. Basketball".[1]

University of North Carolina[]

Cobb was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Cobb and Cartwright Carmichael led the Tar Heels to their first undefeated season in 1924 and to three straight Southern Conference titles (1924, 1925, 1926).[2][3] He was also the first 3-time All-America selection in North Carolina history.[4] Cobb was named national player of the year for 1926 by the Helms Athletic Foundation.[5] The 1924 team was retroactively named national champion by the Helms Foundation in 1936. Their fast play and defense earned them the nickname the "White Phantoms", use as an alternative nickname for the Tar Heels into the 1940s.

After defeating Alabama in the Southern Conference tournament, some 500 students marched to Cobb's house in Durham and woke up the household with fight songs.[6][7] He averaged 15 points a game, then an incredible stat.[8] 6' 2" was also a large size for a player in his day.[7]

Later life[]

Cobb's dreams of pursuing a coaching career were dashed when he had a motorcycle accident in 1929 and lost part of his lower right leg.[2] Cobb did continue to coach Little League baseball teams throughout much of his life.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Tales_from_the_Tar_Heel_Locker_Room/
  2. ^ a b "North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame - Jack Cobb". Archived from the original on 2010-11-27. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  3. ^ "Stepping Up: My Take: Jack Spratt & the Dixie Flyer". Washington Daily News. March 15, 2016.
  4. ^ North Carolina Tar Heels. ABDO Publishing Company. August 2013. ISBN 9781614787259.
  5. ^ a b "Tarheelblue.com Media Guide" (PDF).
  6. ^ Rappoport, Ken (1 May 2012). Tales from the North Carolina Tar Heels Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest UNC Basketball Stories Ever Told. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781613212882 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Carolina Basketball: A Century of Excellence. Univ of North Carolina Press. 15 October 2010. ISBN 9780807899687.
  8. ^ "U.N.C. basketball blue book". Chapel Hill, N.C. : Sports Division, University News Bureau. 19 November 1992 – via Internet Archive.
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