Lawrence Dobbins death, obituary: JK Dobbins father death, Lawrence Dobbins died of a stroke while in prison February 22, 2014.
He passed away as an inmate at Bartlett State Jail when his son, J.K was 15 years old. He had battled heart issues for years before dying at the age of 33.
Lawrence Dobbins played on La Grange’s 1997 state semifinalist team. He was a state champion sprinter for the Leopards, Class 3A’s 100-meter champion in 1998.
His claim to fame was scoring two touchdowns for La Grange in a 1997 state semifinal loss to Sealy at the Astrodome. Lawrence scored on 70- and 74-yard runs in that 24-14 loss to Sealy.
His second long scoring run briefly had given La Grange the lead in the second half, putting the team in position to play for what then would have been its second state title before Sealy closed the game with a couple of scores.
Lawrence Dobbins legacy lives on in La Grange. JK Dobbins, who also competed in the 100-meter dash at the UIL state meet said of his dad in an interview:
“It’s an honor; my dad was a great player. He’s the reason I love football.
“Everyone compares me, but I honestly think I’m better already. It’s kind of motivation because I feel like I have to do better than what he did.”
Lawrence Dobbins death, prison:
Lawrence Dobbins and Mya Grounds, JK’s mother were never married. Their son J.K. was born when Mya was going on 19 years old, and Lawrence was trying to figure out his college path.
JK’s mother, pregnant at 18, was going to abort him but she changed her mind.
Lawrence always had time for his son J.K., but he could never hold a steady enough job to support Mya while she took classes first at Blinn and then at the University of Houston, eventually getting her degree in finance.
His life would take a turn and long-term health issues contributed.
Lawrence Dibbons also found himself in legal trouble when he, according to reports, ended up getting involved with the wrong people.
There is a report about Lawrence getting convicted for theft of property and sentenced to two years in state prison from a courthouse brief from the weekly paper in nearby Schulenberg in 2012.
J.K. and his father were close until Lawrence Dibbons death on February 22, 2014 by stroke while an inmate at Bartlett State Jail at the age of 33.
JK Dobbins said said about his father:
“My dad taught me a lot of things through actions and through words.
Seeing what he was doing, and the trouble he got in, I didn’t want to be like that and he told me he didn’t want me to be like that.
So that’s how I see it. I didn’t want to go to there.”