He was only 56 years old. No cause of death is given.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/bask...r.ap/index.html

ESPN.com says he collapsed while jogging.

Good Lord! That is entirely too young.

he started his coaching career in my neck of the woods

his high school teams were scary good

he would have been coaching about the same time I was in high school

his school was about an hour north of where I grew up

OK, I'm not trying to make light of this tragic death, but what is it with people who jog or run to keep in shape but die while doing it? Remember Jim Fixx? The irony of doing such a strenuous exercise to stay in shape and prolong one's life only to die while doing it is a bit scary.

That's why I just lift weights.

I'm willing to bet tht he had some underlying heart problem previously unknown, or some aterial blockage or something.

Prayers to Skip's family...

Crew Chief...you probably hit the nail on the head. People still do not realize that a person can be height/weight proportionate and be in worse shape than someone that has a beer gut. It could have been genes with this man. I mean sure if you jog or run that is great but if you aren't eating right to go along with it, you can be a jogging regular in need of angioplasty bypass. Regis Philbin wasn't out of shape at all but the man needed quadruple bypass. Diet is still very important in terms of diet and if he had a history of heart disease in his family, it wouldn't be surprising at all. Still...56 is much too young.