Steve Jenkins, the legendary Evangel men’s basketball coach who led the school to a national championship in 2002, died, the school announced on Thursday night.
He was 72. Details regarding a memorial service will be announced in the coming days.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Coach Steve Jenkins, a remarkable leader and mentor whose impact extended far beyond the basketball court,” Evangel President Dr. Mike Rakes said in a release. “Coach Jenkins was more than a coach — he was a teacher, a mentor, and a guiding force who shaped the lives of countless players, staff, and the Evangel family. His unwavering commitment to God, his family, and excellence in all things set an enduring example of what it truly means to use one’s vocational skills to bless the world.”
The 1974 Evangel graduate is the athletics program’s all-time leader in coaching wins. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2014, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
After graduating from Evangel, he started his coaching and teaching career in Lakeland, Florida. He returned to Springfield in 1977 and served as an assistant basketball coach before being promoted to head coach for the 1982-83 season.
After leading Evangel to its first postseason berth in 1996-97, he helped lead the basketball team to the national spotlight for the next two decades. Evangel captured six regular-season conference championships, six conference tournament championships and 11 NAIA National Tournament berths in a 15-year span.
Most notably, Jenkins led the 2001-02 team that finished 35-1 and won the school’s first NAIA national title.
Jenkins retired after the 2020-21 season after 39 years. He was 692-542, ranking then fourth among active NAIA head coaches while 21st on the all-time wins list.
He was named the Heart Conference Coach of the Year seven times and earned NAIA National Coach of the Year honors in 2002 after leading Evangel to an NAIA-II National Championship. Under Jenkins, 24 different players earned a total of 37 first-team All-Heart Conference honors with six being named the player of the year.
The 1974 Evangel graduate earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and physical education and was a student-athlete at EU. He lettered four years in baseball and three in basketball.
Jenkins also served as the Evangel baseball coach from 1978-83 and as the men’s golf coach from 1998-16.
Born and raised in Pittsfield, Illinois, Jenkins married his wife, Rhonda, and they have three grown children.
Evangel recently recognized Jenkins by naming the floor inside the new AGFinancial Arena, Steve Jenkins Court, in his honor last spring.
