NORMAN, Okla. (Dec. 11, 2020) – Laura Beth Jobe, the first coach of Oklahoma Christian's women's volleyball program in the 1970s and early 1980s, passed away on Wednesday. She was 84.

Jobe, the wife of OC Athletic Hall of Famer and former men's basketball coach and athletic director Jerry Jobe, was born in Rush Springs in 1936. She coached the extramural volleyball program in the mid-1970s at what then was known as Oklahoma Christian College. The college made volleyball a varsity sport with the 1977 season, with Laura Beth Jobe as the coach.

Under her tutelage, the Eagles finished 12-9 in 1977, 13-11 in 1978 (finishing second in the Oklahoma Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women tournament) and 16-14 in 1979. After two seasons away, she came back to coach the Eagles for a final season in 1982. The college dropped the program after the 1983 season but has revived it for the 2020 season.

Laura Beth Jobe and Jerry Jobe had three children – son Kelly, a star basketball player for his father's teams in the early 1980s, and daughters Sherry and Terry, who both were OC cheerleaders. After leaving OC, the Jobes moved to Norman, where they attended Westside Church of Christ.

A celebration of Laura Beth Jobe's life will be held at Westside on Saturday at 11 a.m. Condolences may be made to the Jobe family at www.sevierfuneralhome.com.