Jack Null

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach (1924–2003)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Jack Null

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|12|06}}

| birth_place = Staunton, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|05|08|1924|12|06}}

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1943–1947

| player_team1 = Richmond

| coach_years1 = 1951–1954

| coach_team1 = Staunton Military Academy

| coach_years2 = 1954–1955

| coach_team2 = Lake Worth HS

| coach_years3 = 1955–1958

| coach_team3 = VMI

| overall_record = 12–58

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Marvin Jackson Null (December 6, 1924 – May 8, 2003) was an American college basketball coach. A native of Staunton, Virginia, and a graduate of the University of Richmond, Null coached the Virginia Military Institute basketball team for three years in the 1950s. In addition to his service to VMI, Null headed Richmond's freshman teams in football, basketball, and baseball for four seasons. He also coached Lake Worth High School in Lake Worth, Florida.{{cite news|url=http://sma-alumni.org/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/mjn-43PG.pdf|last=McGavock|first=Kelly|title=MARVIN JACKSON "JACK" NULL, SMA '43PG and SMA Coach 1951-54|work=Staunton Military Academy|date=2003-05-10|accessdate=2019-05-11}}

Early life

Marvin Jackson Null was born on December 6, 1924, in Staunton, Virginia. He attended Staunton High School as well as the now-defunct Staunton Military Academy.{{cite news |last=Manus|first=George|date=December 5, 1955|title=Null to Coach Basketballers, Team Hopes for SC Berth |url=http://www2.vmi.edu/thecadet/pdfs-hi/1955/The-Cadet_1955-12-05.pdf|url-status=dead|newspaper=The Cadet |location=Lexington, VA|publisher=Virginia Military Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714160158/http://www2.vmi.edu/thecadet/pdfs-hi/1955/The-Cadet_1955-12-05.pdf|archive-date=2014-07-14|access-date=July 8, 2014}} After graduating in 1943, he attended the University of Richmond where he played on the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams. Null continued to work with Richmond following his graduation in 1947, coaching the freshman football, basketball, and baseball teams.[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043600/http://www.sma-alumni.org/kg0903b.pdf SMA Alumni – Obituaries]

Coaching career

After working four seasons with the Spiders, Null returned to his hometown to head the Staunton Military Academy basketball program. In three years at SMA, Null was 49–11 and the team won the 1951 North-eastern Prep School Basketball Tournament in Glens Falls, New York.

Null next went to Florida where he was the head coach of Lake Worth High School, now known as Lake Worth Community High School, for one season. He then returned to his home state in 1955 and joined the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, near his hometown of Staunton. In his first year with the Keydets, the team went 4–19 and 3–11 in the Southern Conference.[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/jack-null-1.html Jack Null – Sports-Reference] The Keydets never managed to win more than four games under Null, and he resigned following the conclusion of the 1957–58 campaign.{{cite news |date=June 10, 1958|title=Miller Sets Goal As Entering Cagers Into SC Tourney|url=http://www2.vmi.edu/thecadet/pdfs-hi/1958/The-Cadet_1958-06-10.pdf|url-status=dead|newspaper=The Cadet |location=Lexington, VA|publisher=Virginia Military Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714193845/http://www2.vmi.edu/thecadet/pdfs-hi/1958/The-Cadet_1958-06-10.pdf|archive-date=2014-07-14|access-date=July 8, 2014}} His record at VMI was 12–58.

Later life

Following his retirement from coaching, Null established a firm in 1964, Jack Null & Company. He started a prominent career in realty, directing the Virginia Association of Realtors, the Richmond Multiple Listing Service, and the Richmond Association of Realtors. Null was named the Realtor of the Year in 1987. Additionally, he was a founding member of the Richmond Sports Backers and a former director of the SMA Foundation.

Null died on May 8, 2003, due to complications from an aneurysm. He was 78 years old, and left behind five children.