NORFOLK, Va. – In his nearly six decades as a basketball coach, Paul Webb touched tens of thousands of lives, including the man who currently resides in the Virginia Governor's Mansion.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who grew up in Virginia Beach and played basketball at Norfolk Academy and later Rice University, recalled on a visit to Old Dominion this past weekend how Webb made a huge impression on him when he attended the Paul Webb Basketball Camps.
Youngkin attended the Priority Automotive ODU Spring Football Game on Saturday and spoke to several hundred people who donated thousands of dollars to children's charities. He began his remarks by noting the impact that Webb, the former ODU men's basketball coach, had on his life.
"When I went to his basketball camps, he would gather us into a circle on the floor and talk about life," Youngkin said.
"He would tell us that basketball was a life lesson."
Gov. Youngkin's admiration for Webb extended into a condolence letter he wrote to the family after Webb passed away on December 8th at 94 years old.
"For nearly 60 years, he is credited with helping thousands upon thousands of young men and women improve their skills and achieve new levels of excellence," Youngkin wrote.
"As one of those young men, I will always owe Coach Webb a debt of gratitude for what I learned from him about true commitment to the game."
The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, which raises millions of dollars yearly for ODU athletics, is attempting to lend a bit of immortality to the legacy of Paul Webb and Charlotte Webb, his wife of 72 years.
ODAF has kicked off an effort to fund the Paul Webb and Charlotte Webb Men's Basketball Endowed Scholarship.
The effort was formally announced Wednesday during the annual Barry M. Kornblau Athletics Endowed Scholarship Luncheon in the Big Blue room at Chartway Arena.
Both Paul and Charlotte made an indelible impact on the ODU men's basketball program.
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Eddie Webb (left), Paul Webb (right) with Suzanne S. Youngkin and Gov. Glenn Youngkin
Webb finished out his distinguished college coaching career, which began at Randolph-Macon in 1956, with 10 seasons at ODU. From 1975-76 through 1984-85, he won 196 games, an average of 19.6 per year, including upsets of No. 1 DePaul and No. 3 Syracuse.
He took ODU to the NCAA Tournament four times and five times to the National Invitational Tournament.
In his second season, ODU's first in Division I, the Monarchs finished 25-4, including upset victories at Virginia and Georgetown. The Monarchs won a school-record 22 games in a row that season and were a couple of jump shots away from being one of 32 teams invited to the NCAA Tournament.
Webb retired with 511 career victories, then the fifth-most in college basketball.
Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's director of athletics, announced the scholarship effort and said that ODU and Randolph-Macon would play a regular-season game next winter as part of the fundraising effort.
ODU and Randolph-Macon were once intense Division II rivals but haven't played since 1988.
"Some of the proceeds from that game will be used to help endow the scholarship," Dr. Selig said.
Charlotte Webb, whom Paul met while both attended Petersburg High School, played a huge role in her husband's success. Not only did she tend to the couple's four children, but she also took care of players, hosted social events and played an active role in recruiting.
"There was no coach Webb without Charlotte Webb," said Kelsey Summer Webb Percy, one of the Webb's grandchildren, at her funeral.
"Trust me, everyone remembered Charlotte Webb. I would love to know how many recruits, many of you sitting in this room, that Granddaddy got when they laid eyes on Mrs. Webb."
She recalled the many banquets and other events she attended with Paul.
"He received more standing ovations than I can count," she said. "I was always so excited when his name was announced because everyone would stand up and clap and he was so gracious with the attention.
"You'd never know this by talking to him, but he was simply a legend."
Charlotte Webb always stood outside the locker room after ODU games, giving every player a hug and sometimes words of praise and advice. She died nearly two years to the day before Paul Webb passed away.
Webb was not only a winner but a very kind and decent man whom even opponents spoke of highly. He rarely raised his voice when speaking to his players and stayed in touch with most of his former players.
Paul's son Eddie Webb, who attended today's luncheon with his brother, Doug, said Dr. Selig approached him about the endowed scholarship shortly after his father's death. Eddie Webb coached with his father at ODU.
"My father's relationship to ODU goes back to 1975," Eddie Webb said. "He considered Old Dominion to be like family.
"I know very few coaches who maintained a close relationship with a university for nearly five decades."
Paul Webb attended most ODU home basketball and football games until just months before his death.
"He was always looking to stay involved and help ODU basketball in any way that he could," Eddie Webb said. "For ODAF to do something like this to remember my mother and father, I think that's something that would put smiles on their faces."
Jena Virga, who heads ODAF, said fundraising has only recently begun in earnest for the endowed scholarship. The first goal is to get to $50,000, the amount necessary to have a named scholarship. A full endowment is $250,000 or more.
ODU now has 103 endowed scholarships, including a recent effort to endow one in the name of long-time ODU men's soccer coach Alan Dawson. Dr. Selig said that another endowed scholarship in the name of former men's and women's tennis coach Darryl Cummings is also in the works.
Dr. Selig said that ODU has $45.6 million invested in endowed scholarships, far more than most Group of 5 universities and more than even some Power 5 schools. The $45.6 million is invested in the stock market and ODAF uses about $1.4 million in interest income to pay for tuition, room and board for student-athletes.
Dr. Selig's goal is to raise the endowment to $260 million, which would allow ODAF to generate enough interest income to cover the more than $10 million per year that ODU spends on athletic scholarships.
Meanwhile, ODAF officials say they are working the phones in order to raise money from Webb's former players, coaching colleagues and ODU alums.
"We're well on our way to the minimum we need to name the scholarship," Virga said. "Ultimately, we would like to fully endow it at $250,000.
"That would be a wonderful legacy for both Paul and Charlotte."
Eddie Webb with daughter Kelsey Summer Webb Percy
Dr. Selig urged ODU alumni to give generously to the scholarship effort, noting the significant role Webb played in the University's transition to Division I.
"He did not skip a beat when the program transitioned to Division I. He had a blueprint and executed it perfectly," Dr. Selig said.
"He meant so much to the evolution and growth of our program and the national prominence that we have enjoyed. His fingerprints are all over our program. He represented the program with such class and charisma and integrity.
"He really loved ODU. It was as much a part of him as he was a part of us."
To make a donation to ODAF, CLICK HERE To donate to an endowed scholarship, simply indicate the name on the scholarship as you check out.
Minium is ODU's Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODAF Announces Effort to Raise Money for a Paul and Charlotte Webb Endowed Basketball Scholarship
