WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser died on Thursday after collapsing while jogging. He was 56.
Prosser was rushed to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and reportedly died of a heart attack.
One of the most well-liked coaches in the country, Prosser spent seven seasons with the Demon Deacons after one year at Loyola (Maryland) and seven at Xavier. With the three schools, the veteran coach compiled a 291-146 record.
Former Wake Forest point guard and current CBS broadcaster Billy Packer could not have been more surprised.
"It's difficult to hear this about someone who I've come to know very well," Packer told WFAN Radio in New York. "He was young at 56 and in excellent condition. For a guy who loved his wife, and lived his life in moderation, it's shocking."
Prosser enjoyed a good run at Wake Forest, making the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four campaigns with the school and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title in 2003.
In recent years, however, Prosser and the Demon Deacons have struggled - missing the tournament in each of the past two seasons after the departure of star guard Chris Paul.
But according to FoxSports.com, Prosser had recently been in high spirits after two of the nation's top high school players - Al Farouq Aminu and Tony Woods - signed with the school.
Many of Prosser's peers remembered him fondly.
"It's so sad. I feel so bad for his wife, Nancy," Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said to FoxSports.com. "Skip was a gentleman and someone who represented what was good about our profession. He was the kind of person you wanted your son to play for."
"I was sitting with him (Wednesday) in Orlando," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt told the web site. "He was just a great person. It's so sad."
Former Yellow Jackets coach Bobby Cremins, despite never coaching against Prosser, still formed a close bond with the coach.
"We're all in shock," Cremins said. "Although I never coached against Skip in the ACC, I knew him very well and we were very close friends."
"I saw him last night in Orlando. Skip was all smiles the last couple of weeks because of some of the recruits that had committed to Wake Forest. It's terrible to lose a man the caliber of Skip Prosser. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and Wake Forest."
Prosser is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two sons, Scott and Mark.
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