Basketball Hall of Famer, Fort Worth icon Robert Hughes dies at 96

FORT WORTH – Robert Hughes, the winningest high school boys basketball coach in history, has died. He was 96.

From 1958 to 1973, Hughes was the head coach of Terrell High School, an all-Black high school in Fort Worth. 

When Terrell High School shut down in 1973, he continued coaching at Dunbar High School for 32 years. While there, Hughes led the team to two state championships and 30 consecutive playoff appearances. He retired in 2005 after coaching his 47th season.

Hughes has a career record of 1,333-264 and led his teams to five state championships and 35 district titles. 

He was named National High School Coach of the Year in 2003, was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame as well as the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and was enshrined to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

Many landmarks around Fort Worth have Hughes’ name on it, including a FWISD basketball court, a street, a basketball tournament and a housing development dubbed “Hughes House.”