Bobby Young, legendary Columbia High girls basketball coach, has died

Bobby Young, who built the Columbia High School girls basketball into a powerhouse, died Friday, his family announced.

Young coached at the school for 38 years, won 641 games and built the Columbia High girls basketball into one of the state’s top programs before retiring in 2020.

Columbia teams won five state championships and appeared in three other title games. He had one stretch in which his teams won more than 20 games for 20 consecutive seasons.

The school named its gymnasium after Young in 2022. The ceremony was attended by former players, state officials, family and local dignitaries.

“As long as people come back and see that name, it will bring back fond memories,” Young said then. “Oftentimes, when people get old and they retire, people forget them. But to have your name on a building, it really keeps the legacy going.”

Before the gymnasium unveiling, a ceremony was held and several paid tributes through videos or speeches to honor Young.

Some of Young’s former players brought their old Columbia basketball jerseys and took pictures in them with their former coach. Former Lee Central girls basketball coach Dorothy Fortune was in attendance and posed for a photo. The two combined to win more than 1,400 games in their coaching career.

Former North Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell and NBC “Today Show” host Craig Melvin, a Columbia High grad, also sent video tributes.

“I would say it is an honor quite frankly long overdue but certainly well deserved,” Melvin said during his video. “The place that coach Bobby Young helped put on the map should bear his name. I don’t think you fully realize or appreciate the sheer number of young people that you influenced in a positive way. You weren’t just a teacher, you weren’t just one of the best girls basketball coaches. You shaped and molded countless young minds.”

Young is survived by his wife Mary, daughters Vicki and Traci, and three grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Leevy’s Funeral Home.