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Remembering Jack Jensen

Very sorry to hear that Jack Jensen has died at age 71.

Along with those four national championship teams he coached at Guilford College, he was simply good people.

I became a Guilford basketball fan as a kid growing in Greensboro. When the Tar Heels or the old ABA Carolina Cougars weren’t playing, I’d catch Quaker games on the Top 40 AM station in town at the time, WCOG.

That’s where I started to pull for a Quaker team that included David Smith, Jerry Crocker and some guy named M.L. Carr.
Carr, who went on to an NBA career with the Boston Celtics, was one of my favorites, though I initially had the misimpression that his first name was “Emil.”

Jack won an NAIA national championship in basketball in 1973, my freshman year in college.

I had the pleasure to get to know Jack better 20 years later when I was sports editor at the News & Record and we’d hold luncheons with the local basketball coaches.

Even though times were leaner for the Quakers by then, he was always gracious and upbeat.

Coaching Division III hoops is hard enough. But Jack also coached golf for much of the time he was basketball coach at Guilford and continued to coach golf until the day he died.

All he did was win three national crowns in that sport.

He richly deserves the title legend.

Note: In the original version of this post I has gotten the total number of Jensen's titles right, but did not correctly indicate the sports he won them in. This version gets that right.

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Posted by Allen Johnson on Monday, March 29, 2010 at 12:28 pm

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Ty Buckner

March 29, 2010 - 3:12 pm EDT

Thank you for sharing those memories of Jack, Allen. So many people at Guilford and in the surrounding community are mourning his death today. I will remember Jack as a person of character and integrity. He believed in doing the right thing even if it was unpopular. He was one of the most sincere individuals I have ever known and he believed in lifting people up and giving them opportunities. Jack loved the college and what it stands for -- community, diversity, equality and excellence -- and he lived those values. He really cared about the students, whether they were athletes or not. The place seems a little empty without him here today.

Allen Johnson

March 29, 2010 - 3:14 pm EDT

I'm sure it does, Ty. But he won't be forgotten.

dwhitt

March 29, 2010 - 5:35 pm EDT

Allen,
You are absolutely right. Jack Jensen was a great coach. I kept stats for WCOG Radio from 1969 through 1976. I watched Jack coach over 200 games and never once saw anything but a gentleman. He cared for his players and fans. He was always upbeat. I saw him about three weeks ago at Guilford during the play-offs. I talked with him and he again was upbeat and happy. He was talking about his grandson. It is a sad day for all of us.

LYNN S

March 29, 2010 - 7:45 pm EDT

My thoughts and prayers are with the Jensen family. I remember Jack Jensen from when I would go to the Quaker Basketball Games at Guilford College. I was the little girl who would scream and yell the cheers with the cheerleaders or without the cheerleaders under the basket. I was so sad when my mom called to tell me the shocking news about Jack Jensen, she had just spoke to him 1 week ago at the Championship game in VA for the Quakers. Jack Jensen was such a warm and kind person. He wanted to visit my grandmother whom he had known for years who's in a nursing home. I was so touch by his offering to visit her. I remember Gary Devlin and ML Carr playing all those years ago and what a great coach Jack Jensen was. He will definately be missed, but "NEVER FORGOTTEN!" Love and Prayers, Lynn & the Spencer Family of Guilford College

jjparke

March 29, 2010 - 10:01 pm EDT

Likewise, my thoughts and prayers go out to Marsha and family. I spent many a night on the road with Jack on recruiting and scouting trips as manager, scorekeeper, and freshman scrimmage bait for the basketball team from 1968-1972. Most memorably, I was with Jack on a scouting trip to Pfeiffer one night when he decided to stop by a ladies' dorm and call on Marsha. Since being called to the hospital to be with my father when he died five years ago, I've not had any news make me feel as lonely and sad as the call I got this morning letting me know about Coach Jensen. He was a special person to so many of us and one whose memory will live in so many special ways.

Highmiles

March 30, 2010 - 7:46 am EDT

Jack Jensen may have been a pretty great coach, but he was an even better person. I have never met a man who loved his wife more than Jack loved Marsha. If Jack received an accolade, you could be sure he'd thank Marsha for being there for him, before all else. He cared about his players and people in general. He was worth of everyone's respect. He will be sorely missed.

joegal

March 30, 2010 - 9:47 am EDT

It is with much sorrow that I learned of Jack's passing. I competed against Jack's teams as a player and coach while attending Pembroke State University. He was a colleague,comrade,and friend that will be greatly missed. His legacy will be felt by many for years to come. The lives that he touched in a positive manner will be a testament to his character and mettle. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. Joe Gallagher

Daino

March 30, 2010 - 9:57 am EDT

Coach Jensen wanted his players to be people of high character. This was more important to him than what you delivered on the basketball floor. Long, difficult practices were interspersed with his thoughts on what made young people outstanding contributors in life generally. He adored his former players and they adored him.He told us about all the special people he coached and made us want to be like them When you played for Coach Jensen you knew that was in store for you after graduation, too. When I run into people who played for him the first thing they mention is the last time they spoke with Coach. Usually nothing more shared than a knowing smile among two former players from Guilford, "Hey, I saw Coach last week.Yeah, we got caught up on everything." He thought all of us were outstanding and special and had a wonderful knack for making us feel that way throughout our lives. What a gift he was to so many young men who needed him, at a critical time in our lives, to show us there was a right way to do things in life; a right way to conduct ourselves. I hope he knows how much his warmth and acknowledgement has meant to so many of us for so many years and what a huge impact he made. '86

LeeD

March 30, 2010 - 4:00 pm EDT

Daino (Dano) is absolutely right, Coach Jensen believed there was so much more we all could be beyond basketball. He believed in us at a time when few of us really knew who we were or believed in ourselves. I probably never told him how thankful I was, and am, for having had him in my life - his teachings both on and off the court have definitely impacted who I am today. "Don't do anything that's harmful to your body. And don't go to Jan's House after midnight." Lessons that carried so many meanings, some of which are only clear today. Thank you Coach.