Ron Link, who won more than 700 games spanning 45 years as a basketball coach in Georgia, has died. He was 67. The Athens Banner-Herald first reported the story.
Link was diagnosed with ALS in the fall but continued to coach Athens Christian's boys team with help from assistant coaches Tim Cummings and Chad Link, his son. His eighth and final Athens Christian team, led by Georgia signee William "Turtle" Jackson, was 29-1 and reached the Class A private-school semifinals. He was named the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Class A coach of the year.
Link began coaching in the 1960s. His high school stops included Douglass, Bass and George in Atlanta, Lakeside and Towers in DeKalb County and North Gwinnett and South Gwinnett in Gwinnett. He also coached briefly in Camden County and had college stops at Austen Peay and DeKalb College.
He was a motivational speaker and the author of three books: “50 Characteristics for Completing the Puzzle of Life,'' “Rebuilding the Heart: Piece by Piece,” and “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.''
Link was perhaps best known earlier in his career for leading the Atlanta all-star team to five victories in the Boston Shootout. Atlanta won the titles in 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
