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Former Tennessee State basketball coach Ron Abernathy dies at 75

Former Tennessee State basketball coach Ron Abernathy has died. He was 75.

Abernathy retired as the boys basketball coach at Humboldt High in West Tennessee in March. The school announced his death.

Abernathy replaced Larry Reid as the TSU coach in 1990 after spending 13 seasons as an assistant on Dale Brown's staff at LSU. Abernathy played a key role in helping Brown recruit future NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal to LSU.

Abernathy spent two seasons at Tennessee State. The Louisville, Kentucky native posted a 12-43 record before resigning in 1991.

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TSU played a challenging non-conference schedule under Abernathy, which included games at Tennessee, Ohio State, and Colorado.

After leaving TSU, Abernathy returned to Louisiana, where he worked for Gov. Edwin Edwards. After that, he became a social worker at a middle school in Dade City, Florida, and resumed his coaching career at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Florida.

In 2006, Abernathy returned to Tennessee when he was hired as the athletic director and men's basketball coach at Lane College in Jackson. He went on to become the winningest coach in the program's history.

Abernathy became the boys basketball coach at Humboldt in 2014. He remained at Humboldt before retiring on March 22, 2026. He was the TSSAA State Coach of the Year in 2019 and won more than 200 games in his time at Humboldt.

"Over the past 12 years, Humboldt has been privileged to have a coach of legendary caliber leading its basketball program," Humboldt athletic director George Yarbro said in a release. "Coach Abernathy brought a dynamic coaching philosophy to Humboldt athletics, characterized by his deep knowledge of the game, extensive coaching experience, and consistent record."

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Former Tennessee State coach, LSU assistant coach Ron Abernathy dies

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