Bobby Sullivan Roper
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Bobby Sullivan Roper, 78, died Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at Transitions Life Care Hospice Home in Raleigh, NC.
Roper was born July 14, 1943 in Durant, OK to the late Emma and Jack Roper. A 1961 graduate of Sherman High School in Sherman, TX, Roper was an All-District selection in both football and basketball. He earned a scholarship to play football for Coach Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas, and was a member of the 1964 national championship Razorback team. He went on to enjoy a successful career in coaching that began under Coach Paul Bryant at the University of Alabama and included stops at Wichita State, The Citadel, Virginia, Iowa State, Pitt, Tennessee, Oregon State, and Texas A&M. Roper was the defensive coordinator of the 1976 national championship Pitt Panthers. After nineteen years of coaching college football, Roper then entered the family car business and owned Ardmore Chrysler Plymouth-Dodge in Ardmore, OK.
Roper married his high school sweetheart, Sue Ellen Warner, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his three sons, Dan Roper of Fayetteville, AR; Kurt Roper and wife Britt of Cary, NC; Zac Roper and wife Rebecca of Cary, NC; and four grandchildren, Reese, Joshua, Mikayla, and Luke.
Contributions in memory of Bobby Roper can be made to The Frank and Barbara Broyles Foundation, which supports families of those living with Alzheimer's, P.O. Box 30, Elm Springs, AR 72728 or www.broylesfoundation.org.