FORT WORTH, Texas — Carrying the name "Robert Hughes" is an honor and a tremendous responsibility.
“It’s a challenge,” said Robert Hughes, Jr., head basketball coach at Dunbar High School and son of the winningest boys high school basketball coach in history. “Dad is a legend. He’s an icon. He’s famous.”
Robert Hughes, Sr., won five state titles and ended his 47-year career with 1,333 wins and 265 losses. He retired in 2005 having won almost 83% of the games he coached.
More than the titles and trophies, his teams brought a sense of pride when it was needed most.
Hughes began coaching at I.M. Terrell High School in 1958, the first Black high school in Fort Worth. Through the integration of Fort Worth schools and the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement, he set an example for his players and the students the best way he knew how: by winning.
When I.M. Terrell closed, Hughes moved to Dunbar High School, continuing the winning tradition for another 32 years.
Hughes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
“Coach Robert Hughes, Sr. was outstanding,” his son said, reflecting on his father’s career.
With a global pandemic raging, the 94-year-old is confined mostly to his home. His memory is fading, his son said, and the flashbacks of greatness are coming fewer and farther between.
“You don’t want a good thing to die out,” Hughes, Jr. said.
But thanks to his son, and a new Fort Worth Housing Solutions project, Hughes' name is here to stay.
“The buildings are going down but we’re even more excited about what’s coming,” said Mary Margaret Lemons, Fort Worth Housing Solutions president.
The mixed-use development will bring new opportunities for housing, retail and recreational space in the neighborhood of Stop Six in East Fort Worth. The surrounding community has one of the lowest life-expectancies in Texas.
The development will feature a new 210-unit portion called The Hughes House.
“Coach Hughes is just a giant in this community.” Lemons said. “When we had the opportunity to honor some of our biggest trailblazers in stop six, he was top of mind.”
It’s a powerful legacy and a promise of pride for the next generation of greatness.
“My dad is elated,” Hughes, Jr. said. “You want to be the best. That is what the Hughes name is all about.”
