Class of 1983

Jim graduated in the Class of 1938 as a three-sport athlete and, with his twin brother Joe, led Apex into the state playoffs in football and to the Class B state championship basketball game in 1938. He then played football, basketball, and baseball at N.C. State until 1940, whereupon he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps and served for the duration of World War II. After the conclusion of the war, Jim went on to have a distinguished career as a player, manager, and general manager in minor league baseball. He was perhaps best known as an umpire and basketball official in the ACC during the 1950s and 1960s. He served as President of the Carolina League from 1977-1983, during which time he helped resurrect the Durham Bulls baseball franchise. Jim was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and, two years later, was inducted along with his brother Joe into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame.