James J Williams

James J Williams 1915 ~ 2007 James Jardine Williams passed away from pneumonia May 31, 2007 at Poudre Valley Memorial Hospital in Fort Collins. Jim was born March 19, 1915 to John O. and Eve (Jardine) Williams in Malad, Idaho. He graduated from Malad High School in 1934 and began college at University of Idaho four years later. Jim completed his Bachelor of Science in education at Utah State after World War II. Jim joined the National Guard and attended Officer Candidate School. He served in the Army Transportation Corps in the Papua, New Guinea, South Philippine Islands, and Luzon campaigns in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre. He separated as a Company Commander in 1945. During his hospitalization for malaria, Jim met his future wife, Lieutenant Verna Mae (Mary) Rice from Saylesville, R.I. They married June 23, 1945 at Fort Stotsenburg, Barrio Sapang Bato in Angeles City, Philippines. Jim and Mary returned to Logan, Utah to complete master degrees and moved to Ephraim, when he accepted the basketball, football, and baseball coaching positions at Snow College. In 1954, his basketball team lost the national championship game in overtime. That year, Colorado A&M (Colorado State University) hired Jim to coach the men's varsity basketball team. In 26 season, "JJ" became the "winningest coach" in Colorado Division 1 history with 352 victories. He was twice Skyline Conference Coach of the Year, won two Skyline Co-Championships, and played in the National Invitational Tournament twice from 1955-62. His teams went to the NCAA Tournament four times as independents from 1962-69. The 1969 team's advance to the final eight is the furthest of any at CSU. For three years during this period, he was also Athletic Director working to build Hughes Stadium and Moby Gym and gain entrance to the Western Athletic Conference. JJ served on the National Basketball Committee for seven years and the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors. At the time his career ended in 1980, he was 20th among NCAA coaches. In 1988, JJ was a member of the original CSU Sports Hall of Fame induction class. The Western Athletic Conference Court of Honors Hall of Fame inducted him in 1989 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. JJ was the first recipient of the CSU Distinguished Athletic Award in 2003. Jim's two daughters, Mary Joan and Carol Elizabeth Williams survive him. Mary, his wife; Robert James, his son; his mother and father; three brothers, Homer David, David Lloyd (Jack), Robert Benjamin; and two sisters, Katherine Burton and Evelyn Hartvigsen preceded him in death. Jim's interment will be Monday, June 4, 2007 at Logan City Cemetery following an 11:00 a.m. viewing and a 12:00 p.m. Funeral Service at Allen-Hall Mortuary. There will be a Memorial Service in Fort Collins, June 16, 2007, details pending. Saint Joseph Catholic Church will offer a mass July 29, 2007 at 12:30pm. If desired, the family requests donations to the Jim "JJ" Williams Memorial Scholarship Endowment established through the CSU Foundation at P.O. Box 1870, Fort Collins, CO 80522. Please visit www.allnutt.com to view Jim's online obituary, sign the family guestbook and send condolences.