Former Oklahoma State basketball star Royce Jeffries, killed after bar fight, preferred words over strength

To those who knew and worked with Royce Jeffries, he was a gentle giant whose sweet and unassuming nature frequently belied his large physical presence.

As a security guard working at bars and other locations throughout Kansas City, Jeffries, 46, preferred to use his words to defuse a tense situation rather than rely on his brute strength.

Jeffries, a former standout Oklahoma State basketball player, was fatally shot early Sunday after he and another security guard tried to break up a fight at Bob’s N Motion at 57th Street and Troost Avenue. The two guards managed to get those involved in the altercation out of the bar. One man retrieved a gun and fired several shots into the bar, killing Jeffries and injuring his co-worker.

“He was a kind soul,” said William Graves, who owned the private security company that employed Jeffries. “I mean, you can talk to 1,000 people and everybody will say the same thing. He didn’t deserve this.”

No arrests have been made, and police continued their investigation on Wednesday.

Jeffries played four seasons at Oklahoma State from 1986 to 1990, where he ranked third on the school’s all-time list with a 56.9 percent career shooting percentage. He was recruited there by Leonard Hamilton.

“Everybody who knew Royce knows he was one of the nicest, the sweetest young men they would encounter,” said Hamilton, now the head men’s basketball coach at Florida State University. “We are very sad that this young man has lost his life trying to protect someone else, but that is the way I remember Royce. He was always a caring person.”

After leaving college, Jeffries played professionally for the Oklahoma City Cavalry as part of the old Continental Basketball Association. He later played in China and for the Winnipeg Cyclone in Canada.

Jeffries eventually retired, returned to his native Oklahoma and briefly sold cars. He followed a sibling who had relocated to Kansas City and later found work as a security guard. The job suited his personality, friends said.

“Royce comes from a small town and is just as mellow as you could be,” said former AAU and OSU teammate Chuck Davis. “He would prefer to be sitting somewhere fishing, enjoying the outdoors and enjoying life more than worrying about some job title.”

Jeffries was passionate about his friends and family, especially his three daughters and grandchildren.

“He was really just a loving person with a really big heart,” said his daughter, Porschea’ Jeffries. “I don’t ever remember him yelling or getting mad. He always had a huge smile on his face.”

Porschea’ Jeffries recalled that even as an adult she would sit in her father’s lap and share a joke. She said family members have comforted each other while dealing with the loss.

“It’s really shocking, and I don’t think for a lot of family it hasn’t hit them yet, including me, to know that I won’t be able to call him anymore or talk to him,” Porschea’ Jeffries said.

Royce Jeffries loved to barbecue and often competed with his friends and co-workers to see who could prepare the best ribs.

Friends and family held a vigil for him earlier this week.

On Saturday, he was excited and talked at length with Graves about the spread of food he was preparing for Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I never would have thought that would be the last time I would talk to him,” Graves said.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Former Oklahoma State basketball star Royce Jeffries, killed after bar fight, preferred words over strength."