Coach Bob Prevatte Will Be Forever Remembered At Limestone University

Funeral services for legendary coach Bob Prevatte will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at First Baptist Church in Gaffney. The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. Funeral services will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. at the church. Interment with military honors will be in Frederick Memorial Gardens.

Limestone University is the proud home of the Bob Prevatte Athletic Complex that was made possible through a gift from Coach Prevatte's former player and long-time friend Jerry Richardson. The Saints' baseball field is also named for Coach Prevatte.

Limestone will forever cherish the memories made over the years with Coach Prevatte, who was a proud and dedicated member of the Saints Club.

Limestone is placing a wreath in Coach Prevatte's memory at his statue located on campus at 130 Leadmine Street near the Bob Campbell Field House. Flags at the University have been lowered to half-staff in his memory.

The full obituary can be found below.

Gaffney, SC -- Robert (Bob) Eugene Prevatte, 98, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 23, 2023, surrounded by his loved ones.

Bob Prevatte was the devoted husband of the late Helen Marie Prevatte, to whom he was married for 67 years. Bob was a loved teacher, coach, mentor, friend to all that knew him in the Gaffney community.

Coach Prevatte was born in Laurinburg, NC in 1925 to Laura and Reuben Prevatte. He was the youngest of five siblings. The day he graduated high school, he joined the U.S. Navy. He proudly served his country during WWII from 1942 to 1946 aboard the USS Baxter. When returning from the Navy, Coach Prevatte met the love of his, Helen Marie Ostergard on Pier 27 in San Francisco. They were married for 67 years and raised four children.

Coach Prevatte and Marie relocated to SC where he attended Wofford College on the GI Bill. While at Wofford, he was a standout blocking back, named a small college All-American and received the prestigious Jacobs Blocking Trophy. He was inducted into the Wofford College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980. After graduating from Wofford College, he began his high school football coaching legacy at Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville, NC.

The Prevatte family came to Gaffney in 1956. He arrived to a football program that hadn’t won a state championship in two decades. Coach Prevatte managed to turn this struggling program into the South Carolina football dynasty we know today.

During his fourteen seasons as head coach, he compiled a record of 129-29-11. His team won five AAA State Championships. He was named S.C. Coach of the Year four times. He served as the Shrine Bowl Assistant Coach in 1960. He served as head coach of the North-South All-Star Game in 1959 and the Shrine Bowl in 1965. In 2019, Coach Prevatte was inducted into the SC coaches Hall of Fame.

After leaving football and education, Coach Prevatte entered the private sector. He worked for Spartan Foods, owned by his former player and dear friend, Jerry Richardson.

On June 6, 2019, the Bob Prevatte Athletic Complex was dedicated at Limestone University after a $4.1 million donation from Jerry Richardson. The complex honors Bob Prevatte as a coach, educator, mentor, and legend.

The Bob Prevatte Educational Foundation was started in 2006 by The Class of 1962 football players. The foundation honors a GHS Athlete yearly in honor of Coach Prevatte's love of Gaffney High School Athletics.

Coach Prevatte’s records are impressive, but the positive impact he has had on the Gaffney Community and beyond are immeasurable. In his 67 years while living in Gaffney he has touched the lives of countless players, students and community members.

Coach Prevatte had a huge love for his family. He is preceded in death by his wife, Marie Prevatte and a daughter, Kathy Prevatte Kirby.

He is survived by a daughter, Sharon Prevatte Brown; two sons, Steve Prevatte (Janet) and Bobby Prevatte (Pam); five grandchildren, Jamin Prevatte (Alexis), Lindsey Resnick (Jason), Lauren Brown, Erin Prevatte and Jake Prevatte; and one great-grandchild, Vaden Gibson.

The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at First Baptist Church. Funeral services will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. at the church with Reverend Bobby Morrow III and Reverend Kevin Hampton officiating. Interment with military honors will be in Frederick Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Bob Prevatte Educational Foundations, P.O. Box 2102, Gaffney, SC, 29342 or Cherokee County History Arts and Museum, 301 College Drive, Gaffney, SC, 29340.

The family will be at the residence.

An online guest register is available at www.blakelyfuneralhome.com.