SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Rick Huckabay, whose high school and college coaching career included a successful run at Marshall that was cut short by an NCAA penalty, died Friday morning of cancer.

Huckabay, 60, died about 3 a.m. Friday in a Shreveport hospital of lung cancer, according to his friends, including former Louisiana Tech women’s coach Leon Barmore and state Rep. Billy Montgomery, D-Haughton.

Huckabay also coached at South Point High School for a short time.

Huckabay found out he had cancer last August during a routine physical. In September, doctors found both kidney and lung cancer. Huckabay had a kidney removed and continued to coach basketball at Simsboro High School in northern Louisiana until he became too weak to attend the games.

‘‘He really fought it,’’ said Barmore, who was +Huckabee+’s neighbor. ‘‘For a while there, he thought he had it beat, but he didn’t.’’

Huckabay, who started his career as a high school coach in Louisiana, was an assistant at LSU under Dale Brown. He went from there to Marshall where he guided the Thundering Herd to a 129-59 record and three NCAA appearances.

‘‘As a coach and recruiter, I’ve been in gymnasiums throughout the United States, coast to coast, border to border, and Rick Huckabay is as fine a high school basketball coach as I’ve seen,’’ Brown said.

‘‘He was gallant, right up until the end.’’

Brown said he had spoken to Huckabay just last week, and he was still optimistic he could beat the cancer that had ravaged him.

Huckabay was named the West Virginia coach of the year and the Southern Conference coach of the year in 1984 while at Marshall.

Huckabay was forced to resign April 6, 1990, as the university investigated allegations of NCAA violations. The NCAA later placed the Marshall basketball program on two-year probation because of 10 infractions that the school acknowledged.

The school said it reported to the NCAA that one player was given a $2,000 loan that boosters paid back for him. Other players were given jackets, $50, gold charms, places to stay and car rides to public appearances.

In a later interview with The Associated Press, Huckabay said that he believed he was helping students and had no regrets.

‘‘I was 129-59 and the second winningest coach at Marshall,’’ Huckabay said. ‘‘That’s what I want them to remember.’’

Huckabay never made it back to the college ranks after leaving Marshall. The rest of his career was spent in high schools, where he had always had success.

‘‘When we were all together just last week, he said all he ever wanted to do was to be called ’coach,’’’ said Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy.

Huckabay wanted to reach out and teach, and have an impact on young people’s lives, McConathy said.

‘‘He did that with passion He was really good, and it didn’t matter to him if it was coaching a little league ball team or coaching in a state championship game or the NCAA Tournament. He had so much passion for what he did and he wanted to do it until the end. He felt that was his purpose in life,’’ McConathy said.

Huckabay, who coached at five Louisiana high schools, won five state championships in the 1970s at several schools.

He received the Louisiana High School coach of the year award four times. He was in the 2005 induction class for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association/Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Last week, the Louisiana House passed a resolution recognizing Huckabay’s ‘‘momentous achievements as a renowned coach of the great sport of basketball.’’

A wake for Huckabay was to be held Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the John Kramer & Son funeral home in Alexandria. The funeral was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Huckabay is survived by a wife, two sons and four stepchildren.