Remembering Tribit E. Green, Jr.

Diggs remembers Tribit as a great friend and motivator. 

“Whether it was basketball or tennis, he put all of himself into it,” said Diggs, who is well known as one of the most successful wheelchair basketball coaches in the sport. “He didn’t make it just about the game. It was about guiding his players in whatever they needed to be better in life. Many individuals were coming from broken situations, and he helped a lot of individuals find purpose and energy in their lives."

Tribit also met a long list of friends through tennis. Jerry Colston, a friend of Green’s who is also involved with tennis in Philadelphia, said he especially remembers Tribit’s impact on wheelchair athletes, kids, and many others with special needs.

“I’ll always remember how much it meant to him to help people,” Colston said. “He used tennis as a way to do that. He would always be on the courts, looking for people who could learn the sport and take joy in it. He brought a lot of positivity to our area.”

Another close friend, Edward Blackburn, echoed that thought. Blackburn was 18 and at a crossroads when he met Tribit on the tennis courts in North Philadelphia. He said Tribit helped him figure out a path to his professional career transitioning into adulthood.

The list of friendships goes on and on. One of Gertrude’s favorite stories is how Green met late Temple basketball coach John Chaney.

“Tribit taught him to play tennis,” she said with a laugh. “And that helped him get connected to a job down at Temple.”

Tribit’s name won’t be known on a national scale, but in the Philadelphia area, he was part of a community looking to make the city — and the sport of tennis — better.

“He was a giving person who had a big heart,” Gertrude said. “He would help anyone who needed it.”