Bob Vanatta
- October 22, 2016
- 98 years
Remembering Bob Vanatta: related finds and keepsakes
About Bob Vanatta
Bob Vanatta, 98, American college basketball coach (Missouri State, Memphis, Missouri).
Explore other notable deaths in 2016 or deaths in October 2016.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Bob Vanatta?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Bob Vanatta (July 7, 1918 – October 22, 2016) was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He was the head basketball coach for Central Methodist, Missouri State University, Army, Bradley, Memphis State, Missouri, and Delta State University. At Missouri State, he won the 1952 and 1953 NAIA Championships. He compiled a 109–34 record at Memphis State, including making it to the 1957 NIT Championship game. After coaching, he later served as athletic director at Oral Roberts University, commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference, commissioner of the Atlantic Sun Conference, executive director of the Independence Bowl, athletic director at Louisiana Tech University, commissioner of the Sunshine State Conference, president of the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association, and associate athletic director at Florida Atlantic University. He was a Palm Beach County Sports Commission member, which presents the Lou Groza Award to the nation's top placekicker.
Vanatta died October 22, 2016, aged 98, in Melbourne, Florida.
Head coaching record
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Bob Vanatta on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Vanatta
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
People who died on October 22
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Bob Vanatta →Advertisement
