A note in memoriam

It appears that somehow until today I was unaware of the death of a person who was an important influence in my initial college career. I thought I had mentioned him here before, but after searching the entire site I find no mention of him.

After graduating from Allegany High School (Cumberland MD), I eased on down the road a few miles to start my college career at the newly opened main campus of Allegany Community College (today still a JUCO but renamed Allegany College of Maryland, or ACM).

Another newcomer to ACC that fall of 1971 was Robert "Bob" Kirk, the new Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics and ACC Trojans men's basketball coach. He spent the next 33 years as the head coach, stepping down from that role in 2004 and retiring as Director of HPE&A in 2012 after 41 years of service to Allegany.

I was fortunate enough to have several classes with Bob Kirk during my two years there. His wisdom and guidance had a significant impact on me then, and still reverberate with me today.

Bob Kirk became one of THE icons of NJCAA basketball coaching and a member of the NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame. His Trojans played in the brand new and quickly nicknamed "Trojan Square Garden". Originally part of the brand new campus (and not "Originally built in 1977" as the Allegany website linked below mentions, methinks that date is a typo), it was really nothing more than a glorified gymnasium. Today it is recently renovated (but to be objective, still essentially a glorified gymnasium seating 1500) and named Bob Kirk Arena in his honor.

From The Cumberland Times-News:

When he arrived on Willowbrook Road in 1971, Kirk said his aim was to make Allegany, then Allegany Community College, “a major college program on the junior college level,” and he succeeded in doing so. In 33 years as the men’s basketball coach, Kirk’s teams compiled a 927-158 record, earning 12 NJCAA national tournament berths, including two appearances in the championship game. Allegany won six district titles, 17 Region XX titles, 24 Maryland JUCO Conference regular season championships and 17 conference tournament titles.

Prominent in that time was a then national-record 129-game homecourt winning streak the Trojans established from Nov. 11, 1976, to Dec. 12, 1987. ACC had several No. 1 ranked teams, including the 1997-98 squad led by All-American Steve Francis.

Upon his retirement as the basketball coach, Kirk’s longtime coaching rival at Hagerstown Community College, Jim Brown, told the Hagerstown Herald-Mail, “His program would have to be compared to what Duke is on the Division I level in East Coast basketball. He was a tough cookie to beat on the floor.”

Players who were sent to Cumberland by Division I coaches to attend Allegany included eventual first round NBA draft picks and players Francis (University of Maryland), Eric Mobley (Pittsburgh) and John Turner (Georgetown). Kirk also held close ties to the University of Maryland and former coaches and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Lefty Driesell and Gary Williams, as former Terps Tom “Speedy” Jones, Rudy Archer, Ryan Randle, Jamar Smith and Sterling Ledbetter also played for Allegany under Kirk.

Also see The Cumberland Times-News: Remember him as a man who also coached.

Despite head coaching offers from D1 schools over the course of his career he stayed at ACC, in part because of his love of Allegany and the area, but also I have been told in no small part to be able to remain near his extended family and help them out with the lifelong health/personal difficulties with which they were dealing.

Coach Kirk died last year on Sunday, April 29, 2018.

There is no "I" in TEAM.
Together Everyone Accomplishes More

Robert “Bob” Delton Kirk, of LaVale, Maryland
Born March 31, 1935
Died April 29, 2018.


Thank you, Coach.
Requiescat in pace.