Skip Prosser - Personal Life

Personal Life

Prosser and his wife Nancy met in Cincinnati. He had two sons, Scott and Mark, who are from his first marriage to Ruth Charles. Mark is the head coach at Division II Brevard College.

An avid sports fan, Prosser was a follower of the Pittsburgh Steelers since childhood and would often find sports bars to watch their games while on the road. He was at Three Rivers Stadium to witness the Immaculate Reception. He also saw Roberto Clemente's 3,000th and final hit, and the last game ever played at Three Rivers Stadium. He once hitchhiked across the country.

Prosser earned a reputation in college basketball for a keen intellect and sense of humor. He enjoyed reading the books of Robert Ludlum, along with biographies and books on history, philosophy and politics. The athletic director at Loyola, Joe Boylan, said that Prosser was a "renaissance man coaching basketball." Former Xavier player Dwayne Wilson said, "He always liked to read history books, so he was always quoting something – whether it be Winston Churchill or another great author – he was always quoting somebody on something."

Prosser stated, in an interview that aired just after his death, that his favorite quote was from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "He was a transcendentalist in America in the 1830s who said `Our chief want in life is someone who will make us do what we can.' I thought that was a powerful statement that we need to be around people who challenge us to be as good as we can be."