Ronnie Alan Black was born July 25, 1949 to Erwin and Maxine Black in Poplar Bluff Mo and passed from this life on January 11, 2024 in Owasso Ok at the age of 74.

Ron started school in Tulsa at Hoover Elementary and graduated from Nathan Hale High School in the class of '68. After high school he attended NEO in Miami Ok. He played Defensive End on the 1969 National Jr College Championship Team at NEO. From there he went on to play at The Citadel in Charleston South Carolina where he graduated. His dad was particularly proud that Ron, who struggled when he first started playing football in 6th grade, was now getting a scholarship to play at the college level.

Ron followed his parents' military example of showing honor and respect to the USA by serving in the National Guard. Around Independence Day every year he would buy packages of American flags and put them on military gravesites.

Ron wanted the best of everything for his football team. He mowed the practice field on his own, cleaned and repaired equipment and set a tone of excellence. "You can choose to quit or succeed" were lessons he learned as he grew up. His dad's ethic of "don't quit, work hard, and persevere" were part of his daily mantra that he passed on.

His friend Dale said that he and Ron were very different but they learned the give and take of coaching together. They spent many hours watching film and plotting X's and O's. Those who knew Ron know that if you were his friend, he would drop what he was doing and help you in whatever you needed.

If you were in his class, you knew that everything had a place and it needed to be there, which included the student's desks.

Ron accepted life as it was, knowing that he was doing the best he could.

Ron was preceded in death by his sister, Lana; his mother, Maxine, his father, Erwin. and his faithful companion, Little Bo Peep. He is survived by close friends Dale and Patsy Kinser, Lisa Latta, Marjorie Lawrence, George Hess, Coach Chuck Bowman and former NEO teammates.

We would especially like to thank the staff at Oxford Glen Memory Care in Owasso and the Amedisys Hospice Care of Tulsa for their compassionate care during Ron's last days.

The funeral service will be held 2pm, Friday, January 19, 2024 at Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel, 5111 S. Memorial Drive, Tulsa, OK