George “P.I.” Pruitt, 1936-2007

George "P.I." Pruitt, 71, of Chicago died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007, at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, at Robeson High School in Chicago.

P.I. was the spirit of sports for generations of students at Robeson High School and its predecessor, Parker High, on the South Side.

The former small-college All-American and professional basketball player was more than just the athletic director, basketball coach and No. 1 fan. He was a father figure for many of the students he coached. He constantly gave so much of himself to the students.

P.I. was an All-American basketball player at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, where he graduated in 1960. He then played for the Kansas City Steers in the old American Basketball League from 1961 to 1963. The team was the runner-up for the 1961-1962 season championship and was declared the winner of the next season, which ended when the league folded.

A graduate of Tilden High School, Mr. Pruitt started teaching at Parker in 1967. He was promoted from assistant basketball coach to coach in 1972. Parker closed and a new school opened in 1977 as Paul Robeson High. Mr. Pruitt worked there until he retired as athletic director in 2002.

He is survived by wife Florence Horrell Pruitt of Columbia; two sons, George III and Mickey Pruitt; two daughters, Jeri and Chris Pruitt; a brother, Berget; and four sisters, Dorothy Smith, Almatha Hollingsworth, Joyce Kimble and Helen Long.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

 

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