Jerry Cole's name doesn't grace a marquee at Jacksonville State University's football stadium. It doesn't adorn the Gamecocks' basketball arena, their fields for baseball, softball or soccer, or their athletic offices.

What it does adorn is a parking lot adjacent to the JSU Field House.

Shouldn't there be more?

Cole, who died Monday after a lengthy illness, is a transcendental figure in the university's modern-day history and a cornerstone member of the university's sports Hall of Fame. His days as a JSU football player and his 24-year tenure as JSU's athletics director coincided with many of the Gamecocks' most memorable successes.

As illustrated in a Tuesday story by The Star's Al Muskewitz, Cole's fingerprints are imprinted on virtually all aspects of JSU athletics. He shepherded the Gamecocks through their move to the NCAA's highest division. He championed women's sports. And he fostered a spirit of collegiality among JSU's coaches and staff that allowed the small, unassuming school in the rolling hills of northeast Alabama to bloat its trophy case during most of his tenure.

It's not improper to say that JSU athletics — a Division I program with a track record of Division II excellence — would be a shell of its current self if it were not for the calm guidance and humble nature of Jerry Cole.

Yes, Cole's name deserves some public and well-displayed immortality on the JSU campus.

But where? Many, though not all, of the prominent buildings and facilities already are named. And, as a group of ex-Gamecocks trying to get the name of their former coach, Bill Burgess, placed on JSU's football field can tell you, securing naming rights isn't an easy task.

But making the right decision — the easy decision — is.

Jerry Cole's name should forever remain synonymous with JSU sports. Residing in the Gamecocks' Hall of Fame is fine; a parking lot may be a well-intentioned tribute.

But Cole and his brand of leadership warrant a more public display of enduring recognition. JSU could do much worse than honoring a man who gave so much, and for so long, to those in Gamecock red.