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Basketball world mourns the loss of TJC legend Poo Welch Published 10:41 pm Tuesday, July 28, 2026 CANTON Our friendship began late in life, about six years ago, when I decided during the early throes of the COVID epidemic to write a series of articles about my favorite sports memories growing up in Tyler.
Near the top of the list were the must-see basketball games between Tyler Junior College and its rival the San Jacinto Ravens of Pasadena.
Tyler, coached by Floyd Wagstaff and led by a tall and sleek point guard from Lake Charles, Louisiana versus a talented San Jac squad led by the amazingly short and powerful postman from the Bronx, New York.
Those games were compelling, entertaining and not to be missed.
The point guard for Tyler was Poo Welch, who passed away Tuesday morning at his home in Canton and the postman was Oliie Taylor, who died in 2025.
It was the late 1960s with no cell phones, social media or seemingly important things to do and that translated into getting in line at 5 p.m.
so you would have a seat when the teams tipped off at 7:30.
The games did not disappoint! Welch was a floor general who could shoot the lights out while Taylor could jump through the ceiling and dunk over anybody.
Thankfully, both Welch and Taylor were agreeable to being interviewed for the story, so I made the trip to Canton to meet Welch and spoke on the phone with Taylor.
In an amazing way I later met Taylor at an NBA alumni event in Dallas.
Both relished rehashing those riveting games with a cast of characters that included Jim Brooks and Jesse Marshall for Tyler and Jeff Halliburton for San Jacinto.
Those games, said John Underwood, a friend of Poos and a former college coach and player, were usually attended by some 70 Division I coaches looking to recruit the junior college talent.
You got us ranked 4th in your top 5, Welch said with an arched eyebrow and a smile.
I would have thought we would be higher than that.
We laughed and that began a friendship that lasted until today, (July 28, 2026), when I learned Poo died in his sleep at his home shared with Diana, his wife of 54 years.
To hear the news was a gut punch but softened by the sweetness of a friendship where every phone conversation ended with his words, love you man.
I checked my phone and our last phone conversation was just 11 days ago when we talked about the challenges of getting older, especially Poo as he fought off prostate cancer and other maladies.
But his sense of humor remained and he always had a pithy comment or two about the sports world or modern life as he rued the advent of the digital world, especially as it replaced the printed newspaper he loved to read and work the crossword puzzles.
It was that first meeting or soon afterwards that Poo gave me a tour of his doghouse in the backyard that contained the most fabulous collection of sports and music memorabilia I had ever seen.
There was the great Jim Krebs of SMU on the cover of Sports Illustrated circa late 1950s, and a picture of Poo dribbling for the University of Houston in an NCAA Tournament game against Providence.
He played with Taylor for Guy Lewis upon leaving TJC and the Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 his junior year at UH.
The doghouse also had an assortment of musical items that included album covers of Michael Jackson and the Beatles, etc.
I even donated an item that I thought belonged in the doghouse.
It was a retro golf cap from the Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open golf tournament of the 1970s.
I think Poo loved it because it hopefully showed that I understood his passion for remembering those days of Johnny Wooden, Frank McGuire, and Adolph Rupp.
Speaking of Rupp, a favorite memory was attending a game of his granddaughter Amari when Canton played at Brownsboro about four or five years ago.
Once I plopped down, I turned to Poo and said, if anyone was watching me just now, they must think Adolph Rupp has come back to life.
Once I plopped down, I turned to Poo and said, If anyone was watching me just now, they must think Adolph Rupp has come back to life.
Poo smiled and said, Yeah, you look like a grizzly old scout or something.
I will miss that.
Poo had great stories and the San Jac rivalry was just one of many.
He talked about his hero growing up in Louisiana, Pistol Pete Maravich.
Pete was one year ahead of me and I went to watch him play on my recruiting trip to LSU during my senior year in high school, Poo said.
Freshmen then were not eligible for the varsity so I sat in a packed house for the freshman game against Kentucky and he scored his usual 30 plus points.
When the game was over, half the crowd left.
The last time I saw Poo was at a basketball game in Marshall in late December.
Amaris Mary Hardin-Baylor team was playing in a tournament hosted by East Texas Baptist.
Accompanied by Diana, Poo was dapper in a stylish winter hat and in good spirits.
Watching a game with the Welchs was fun because of their basketball knowledge and passionate support of Amari.
My heartfelt condolences to Amari, Diana and Poos daughter, Nicole.
The news of Poos death began early with friend Pat Spruiell of Canton texting me.
Spruiell was a teammate of Poos at TJC and shared a funny story of their adventures from those days a late night golf ball hunt in the pond on the POCO Golf Course in Van, Spruiells hometown.
The balls, about a dozen or so, were later put into the golf bag of another TJC teammate, Norman Wright.
Days later, Poo borrowed Wrights clubs and promptly deposited all of the balls into the pond of a par 3 at Willow Brook Country Club.
Later I talked with Harvey Huffstetler, another teammate from TJC during those wonderful years when the Apaches could beat everyone, including San Jac, but still did not make it to the nationals in Hutchinson because of Ollie Tylor and company.
I covered Ollie and held him to 44 points one night in a playoff game, Huffstetler said.
Wag wasnt happy but I said anybody else would have given up more points or fouled out.
Huffstetler also mentioned that Poo once scored 58 in a tournament win over a good Kilgore College team coached by Joe Turner.
Now living in Arkansas, Huffstetler spoke as if the games were last week and not almost 60 years ago.
Isnt life like that, too? It seems like yesterday I was a kid in Tyler waiting in line to get into the TJC gym to see Poo Welch and Ollie Taylor.
Both are now gone but I hope they have reunited in heaven.
I know Poo professed his faith in Jesus Christ and hopefully the same for Ollie.
Perhaps, with their new bodies, they are joyfully running a fast break with Poo passing to Ollie for a thunderous dunk.
And nodding his approval with a sly grin is Adolph Rupp.