Former Siegel boys basketball coach Ben Dotson, who died at 55, remembered for generosity
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"Fiery" is a word used often to describe Siegel High teacher and former boys basketball coach, Ben Dotson.
There were many other adjectives that friends and colleagues used in remembering the Stars coach, who died on Oct. 9 at the age of 55. Generous, caring and funny were a few.
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To his older brother, Murfreesboro realtor Von Dotson, he was much more than what folks saw on the basketball court or in the classroom.
"Ben and I were extremely close ... we were tied at the hip," an emotional Von Dotson told The Daily News Journal. "We shared a bedroom until I was 14 and he was 12. "We would talk about sports daily, whatever sport was in season. I'm really going to miss him."
The official cause of death has yet to be released, but Ben Dotson had suffered health issues over recent months, particularly the last few weeks, Von Dotson said.
Visitation with the family will take place at New Vision Baptist Church on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.-noon, with the funeral service following immediately after. The family will hold a private burial at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Charity Circle of Murfreesboro or the First Shot Foundation.
Ben Dotson, a Riverdale and MTSU graduate (where he was a student assistant on the men's basketball team under Bruce Stewart), was the Siegel boys coach at Siegel from 2008-2016 after having previously been an assistant under Chris Harris, the program's first coach when the school opened in 2003.
"He was always a fiery guy, always very flamboyant," Harris said. "He had a lot of energy and passion. He wanted our kids to be recruited well. He was just very passionate about basketball, wanting what was best for the players and Siegel as a whole.
"He had a lot of energy when it came to organization and getting things done. He would say, 'I know a guy that can get this for you.' He always wanted what was best for the players, as far as equipment and gear."
Ben Dotson was highly successful at Siegel, going 176-69, including taking the Stars to the TSSAA Class AAA state tournament in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014. His squads reached the final four twice, including the 2010-11 team that went 30-2. The 2013-14 team also went 30-2.
"As far as working with him, there was always something all the time," said Central Magnet girls basketball coach Alan Bush, who was the Siegel girls basketball coach during Dotson's coaching tenure. "One thing he taught me was not to take things so seriously, that basketball wasn't life or death. He definitely didn't mind challenging the status quo. He was always looking for an edge when he coached.
"He would do anything for a player. He would do anything for me. He always tried to make sure to get them what they needed, if he could."
Dotson stayed on at Siegel after his coaching tenure ended in 2016, including working until the school's fall break last week. Over the past two years he worked closely with current Siegel coach Shawn Middleton as a credit recovery teacher.
"Ben affected so many people in such a positive way," Middleton said, pointing to basketball trips Dotson was able to take his team to, which included Hawaii, Alaska and the Bahamas. "Some of the kids probably didn't realize at the time that it was a once-in-a-lifetime situation."
Dotson had battled health issues since suffering severe injuries in a June 2020 automobile accident when his vehicle was struck by an 18-wheeler on I-840.
"After that accident, he was just never the same," Von Dotson said. "Recently, a couple of weeks ago, he had a mild stroke, but he got over that in a few days. But over the last four months, we probably made half a dozen visits to the hospital. The autopsy is not out yet, but I believe his kidneys just gave out on him. The last four weeks were specifically hard on him.
"His body just gave out."
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Former Siegel boys basketball coach Ben Dotson, who died at 55, remembered for generosity