HOUSTON, Texas- The Southwestern Athletic Conference mourns the loss of Former NFL defensive back and Prairie View A&M Athletics coach Robert "Bob" Atkins.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Atkins in the second round of the 1968 draft out of Grambling State. He played two years with the Cardinals before being traded to the Houston Oilers.
Atkins would go on to play a total of seven seasons in Houston, appearing in 114 games, starting 49, and contributing 19 career interceptions.
He officially retired from the NFL after the 1976 season. Atkins would go on to become an assistant football coach and head women’s basketball coach at Prairie View A&M.
Atkins was one of the longest-serving coaches in the history of Prairie View A&M Athletics, and by far the longest-serving head coach in the history of the PVAMU women's basketball program, a role he held from 1984-2005.
In 21 years on the sideline, Atkins became the school's all-time leader in wins (141) and posted six seasons with double-digit victories.
The highlight of Atkins' tenure was the 1999-2000 season, when Prairie View A&M advanced to the SWAC tournament semi-finals for the first time in school history. His best season was 2000-01, when the Lady Panthers finished 13-15 overall, 10-8 in conference play.
Atkins stepped down from his position as head women’s basketball coach in 2005 to accept a position as Director of Athletic Operations at PVAMU before retiring from the school in 2011.
Following his retirement he would go on to work athletics game day events at Texas Southern as well as the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
In 2017 he was selected as a member Grambling State Athletics Hall of Fame. His general kindness and presence at conference sporting events will be greatly missed.
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
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