Former Humboldt boys basketball coach Thomas Boykin died on Saturday
Basketball is a game that was always in the heart of Thomas Boykin, and after 40 years of coaching in the Humboldt School System, that love remained the same.
On Saturday evening, Boykin, a former Humboldt boys basketball coach,died at Vanderbilt Medical Center around 10 p.m. at Vanderbilt Medical Center, according to his wife Lucy.
"Thomas loved the game, and he never did get basketball out of his system," Lucy Boykin said. "When he retired, I joked with him that he was going to get back into coaching, and he was going to coach girls. He would always roll his eyes."
Thomas Boykin was 66 years old.
He had been suffering from some health issues and went into Vanderbilt on Monday for a liver resection. Lucy Boykin said that the surgery was successful, but he had complications Friday night.
The medical staff was taking him up for a CT Scan on Saturday when he coded in the elevator.
Boykin coached the Vikings for 17 years and led them to the 2013 Class A state championship. He retired one year later.
One of the stars of that 2013 team was Desonta Bradford, who graduated from East Tennessee State University in the spring.
"Coach Boykin was one of a kind," Bradford said. "He was the type of guy that wanted the best for each and every one of his players. He wanted to see all of us succeed. He made sure we didn't get in trouble and that we did what we needed to on and off the court."
Milan athletic director and TSSAA Board of Control member Greg Scott was hired by Humboldt after student teaching and was named an assistant boys basketball and baseball coach.
"My first impression of Coach Boykin was that he was loud and everything was was a big ordeal," Scott said. "He coached hard.
"But when you look back after I left, Humboldt was going to state every year, but they didn't win a title. People in the community are always going to comment that it was someone's fault, Some said that Humboldt needed a better coach. But a lot of boys wouldn't have been able to participate without Coach Boykin in their life."
Scott talked of how he went out of his way to make sure his players weren't getting into trouble.
"He would get in his white truck and go into parts of Humboldt where he knew his players shouldn't be and tell them to go home or get in his truck," Scott said. "The kids needed him."
Even after retirement, Thomas and Lucy Boykin didn't miss Humboldt games. The Boykins were married for 33 years.
"I told him that if I didn't love basketball, our marriage would have been miserable," Lucy Boykin said jokingly.
Boykin had one losing season in his tenure at Humboldt, and that came in his first season in charge of the Vikings.
He led Humboldt to six state tournament appearances – one in Class AA and five in Class A.
"Coach Boykin was laid back for me," Bradford said. "He taught me what to do and how to do it. But he also demanded a lot out of us. He was a great coach. He was a very caring person, and he loved to joke."
Since Boykin was a teacher, his wife felt it was right to allow Vanderbilt to do an autopsy to see if studying his tissues could help someone else.
Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.