JAMES AUSTIN KILLINGSWORTH

JAMES AUSTIN KILLINGSWORTH was born
19 Jun 1923 in Checotah, Oklahoma. He married MARGARET CLARA GWYN 29 May
1943 in La Junta, Colorado. She was born 18 Feb 1926 in La Junta, Colorado,
and died 26 Feb 2003 in Fort Worth, TX.

Notes for JAMES AUSTIN KILLINGSWORTH:

Jim has lived a very interesting life. During his elementary and high school
days, he was quite a fighter. Every kid in the community and surrounding
communities tried with no avail to beat him.

He was also a excellent marksman.

After high school, he joined the U S Army Air Force. During his tenure he
was a Link Trainer Instructor and was an Amateur Boxer; which he never lost
a fight.

After he was discharged from the services, he attended college, received his
masters degree from the University of Oklahoma.

He obtained a teaching position at Stidham, Oklahoma High School. There is
where he had the o pportunity to coach basketball.

His Succes at Stidham led him to other scholls as Head Basketball Coach and
Assistant Football Coach...Lindsay, Shulter and Pawhuska, Oklahoma compiling
a 305-50 coaching record. From pawhuska he advanced to the college ranks. He
became the Assistant Basketball Coach at the University of Tulsa, where he
coached for three years, from there to Cerritos Junior College in
California, then to Idaho State University, then to Oklahoma State
University and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth Texas where he
remained until retirement.

During his coaching career he received many rewards. All of this was made
possible by his wife Margaret who was his best fan and supporter.

Some of Jim's achievements were:

.............. First Team Stidham, Oklahoma State playoffs.

.............. Lindsay, Oklahoma - Football State Champs

.............. Pawhuska, Oklahoma - Basketball State Champs "A"

1964-65.. Metro Conference Champs - Cerritos Jr College

1965....... Won the Cerritos College Tournament and the Sam Barry Glendale

.............. Tournament - Metro Conference Champs

1967....... Chaffey College Tournament Champions

1968....... California State Jr Basketball Champions, won the Modesto

.............. Tournament

.............. The Chaffey Tournament, runnerup in the Sam Barry Tournament
and

.............. captured the Metropolitian Conference Champions. (Best in
the Cerritos College School 11 year .............. history

1971....... Cerritos College Southeast Conference Basketball Champons.

.............. State of Calif Legislature Assembly - The Governor has made
Jim

.............. Killingsworth the Official Custodian of the State Seal.

1973-74.. Big Sky Basketball Champs - Idaho State University.

1974....... Key to the City of Pocatello

.............. "Chief Big Sky" for outstading civic service is made a Chief
of Pocatello

.............. Coach of the year Big Sky Conference

1976-77.. City of Pocatello awards the Certification of Appreciation.

.............. Coach of the year Big Sky Conference

1977....... Coach of the year KID TV

.............. Northeastern Oklahoma State Universty presents a Citiation
of Merit

.............. award for Outstanding Achievement in Athletics

.............. Key to the City of Pocatello

.............. Idaho State Beats UCLA in the NCAA Tournament

.............. State of West Virginia in Recognition of Outstanding
Qualities which

1978....... Merit the Highest Esteem of the Cities of Mountain States
Honorary

.............. Citizen

.............. Awarded the Dr James Naismith "Iron Duke" Award-Big Eight
Conference Coaches

1979-87.. Texas Christian University Appreciatin of Service Award "Head

.............. Basket ball Coach"

1981....... PLAQUE - TCU Basketball - " I DON'T CALL THIS A MIRACLE" I call
it

togetherness, team work, pride and hard work. I call it a coach who

never quits believing in a team that never quits

1982....... Kodak District Basketball Coach of the Year Nominee NCAA
Division

.............. 1 - TCU

1982....... Coach of the year - Southwest Conference

1983....... The Newsmakers Committee of the Fort Worth Head Liners "CLUB INC
nominates Jim ...............Killingsworth as NEWMAKER OF THE YEAR

1981-83.. PLAQUE - I WAS A KILLER FROG - HEAD COACH - TCU

1986....... Kodak District Basketball Coach of the year Nominee NCAA
Division 1

-TCU

.............. Jim and Margaret Killingsworth is the owner of the Texas
Celebrity

Cookbook Limited to #292 TExas Celebrity Cookbook.

.............. PICTURE - THE TOUGHEST COACH THERE EVER WAS

.............. Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma Proudly
Salutes

.............. Alumnus Jim Killingsworth for the Recognition he has brought

.............. NSU through his many Achievements in Basketball

4-28-87... Texas Christian University Board of Trustees - CITATION JIM

KILLINGSWORTH

1987....... Kodak District Basketball Coach of the year Division 1, TCU,
NABC

.............. Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, NCAA

.............. Southwest Conference Coach of the Year

.............. Southwest Conference Champions

1986-87.. Southwest Conference and NCAA District VI Coach of the year

.............. Dallas Morning News 'ALL SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE COACH OF THE
YEAR"

1987....... Certificate of Appreciation - Department of the Air Force,
Aviano AB, Italy

4-4-87..... Key to the City of Dallas, Texas

.............. Office of the Mayor - Proclamation - City of Fort Worth,
Texas

.............. "Jim Killingsworth Day" by Mayor Bob Bolen Expressing
sincere

.............. appreciation for bringing Outstanding Collegiate Basketball

.............. Program and wish him enjoyment in retirement.

1988....... Amateur Athletics Foundation of Los Angeles, California
Community

.............. College Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Honor

.............. Jim Killingsworth Cerritos College for Outstanding
Contributions

.............. Basketball given April 1988

1988....... California Community College Basketball Coaches Association and

.............. California Community College Athletics, Congratulates "Jim

.............. Killingsworth" on being inducted into the HALL OF FAME

1987....... Retired with no regrets of his accomplishments.

2-1-97.... Northeastern State University of Tahlequah, Oklahoma inducted

.............. Jim Killingsworth in the Athletic Hall of Fame (Inductee
Class XII)

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AN EXCERPT FROM TCU ANNALS OF DECEMBER 1979

When TCU Athletic Director Frank Windegger went in search of a new Head
Basketball Coach, he was confident he'd get a good man. But Windegger
shocked everyone by hiring what he calls "THE BEST COACH IN AMERICA FOR THE
TCU JOB" Jim Killingsworth, who is respectifully called "KILLER" by Sports
Writers, fans and his peers around the country, he has a reputation for
rebuilding Basketball Programs. In 30 years of coaching, "KILLER" has had 28
winning seasons.

During his High School tenure he w on over 85 percent (305 wins, 50 losses)
of his games. His 1960 Pawkuska team finished 2nd in the State and his 1961
team won the State an he was named Oklahoma High School Coach of the year.

For the next 2 1/2 years he served as Freshman Coach at Tulsa University
where his teams were 24 and 4. Killingsworth left Tulsa to take the job at
Cerritos California Junior College in the Tough Metro League. His first team
was 22 and 7 and posted a 14 and 0 Conference record. The first unblemished
loop record in 14 years. Through 7 years his teams were 158 and 47 including
a 31 - 3 season in 1968 when Cerritos claimed the California Junior College
Championship.

In all, he won 3 Metro League titles and had only on team elow 2nd.

Idaho State beckoned him to restore cage respectability and his first Bengal
Squad in 1972 went 14 and 12 and finished 2nd in the Big Sky Conference.

Throughout his tenure ast Idaho State he never finished lower than 2nd in
the league and he topped it off in the 1976-77 season with a 25-5 record.
His underdog Idaho State team upset Long Beach State 83-72 and Mighty UCLA
76-75 before falling to Nevada Las Vegaa 107-90 in the NCAA playoffs.

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THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE BOOKLET FOR THE
1986-198 SEASON:

Jim Killingsworth begins his eight season at the helm of Horned Frog
Basketball Fortunes, poised along wiht his TCU players for what many believe
could be the finest purple cage campaign ever. Fresh from TCU's first share
of a Southwest Conference title in 15 years, Killingsworth's 1986-87 team
reteurns almost completely intact from the club which finished 22-9 a year
ago.

That team wound up 12-4 in SWC action, tying for the Conference crown along
with Texas and Texas A&M, and earning Killingsworht SWC and Distrist VI
Coach of the Year honors, TCU moved on into post season play in the National
Invitaition Tournament where the Killer's charges knocked off Montana before
losing at the University of Florida. It was a season filled with purple hued
triumps of all sorts, including several personal milestones for
Killingsworth.

TCU has fashioned just four 20-win Basketball seasons in the 73 year history
of the sport at Frogland, two of those four have come during the TCU tenure
of Killingsworth, and both have been constructed in the last four seasons.

One victory in that string last season was also the 1000th game coached by
Killingsworth in his 37 year career as Head Basketball Coach.

Twice now in his seven seasons with the Frogs the Killer has been showered
with SWC Coach of the Year Accolades.

Killingsworth has established himself as the winningest TCU Basketball Coach
of the modern era. He passed the centruy mark in Horned Frog victories last
season and how stands second amoung all TCU mentors in total victoris with

a record of 124 wins and 99 losses (Through 1986-87 now totals 130 wins and
106 losses).

Only the immortal Buster Brannon, Horned Frog Coach for 20 seasons, has more
TCU victories. Brannon won 206 and lost 258.

It was just seven years ago that Killingsworth inherited a cage program in
shambles. Prior to his arrival in 1779, TCU had won a total of 13 games in

three previous seasons combined. The Killer laid a foundation for the future
then, suffered through two rebuilding seasons and soon had the Horned Frogs
back in the Big Time Spotlight. The Pinnacles to date were last season's
23-9 campaign and 1983-84 wars which culminated in an NIT quarterfinals
berth and final reading of 23-11. He has been a coaching odessey marked
throughout by steady and inexorable improvement.

TCU came calling in 1979, and in short order the "Killer Frogs" were
meanacing opponents around the Southwest. Killingsworth is a native of
Checotah, Oklahoma and a 1940 gradualte of Pierce High School. He served
four years in the Army Air Corp before college, earning a Bachelor's Degree
from Northeastern State University in 1948. Killingsworth also earned a
Master's

Degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1954.

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Killingsworth's record through 1986-87

1971-72...14-12...... Idaho
State..............1978-79...12-15.......Oklahoma State........

1972-73...18-8.........Idaho
tate................1979-80...7-19.........TCU...........................

1973-74...20-8.........Idaho
tate................1980-81...11-18.......TCU...........................

Big Sky Champions,
NCAA....................1981-82....16-13......TCU..........................

1974-75...16-10.......Idaho
State..............1982-83....23-11......TCU..........................

1975-76...16-11.......Idaho
State..............1983-84....11-17......TCU..........................

1976-77...25-5.........Idaho
State..............1985-86....16-12......TCU..........................

Big Sky Champions,
NCAA....................1985-86....22-9........TCU..........................

1977-78...10-16.......Okla State................SWC Tri-Champions,
NIT.........................

...............................................................1986-87...24-7.........TCU..........................

Total 237-184 (.563 in 15 seasons

SWC Champions/played in pre-season NIT and NCAA / won the All Classic
Tournament in Oklahoma City

"Coach of the Year"

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The following excerpt from the Newspaper "USA Today March 5, 1986

Something has happened here that has students, faculty and alumni at Texas
Christian University doing things they thought never do. Deep in the heart
of Texas - where people usually get their kicks from football, chicken fried
steak, country music and spring football - a new phenomenon has taken hold:

It's ok to root publicly for the TCU Basketball team. Yes there's a new game
in town. In Forth Worth, a comuterized traffic sign on Interstate 35,
"Killer Frogs Yes, killer drivers no - 45 MPH" TCU ranks in the top five
nationally in field goal and scoring defense. Its opponets shoot 40.5
percent and score jsut 57.2 points a game .

Jim's career was very demanding, tedious and nerve racking; some of the
pressures were from recruiting, coaching, the faculty members, the press,
alumni, parents, students, NCAA, and family needs; which require twenty four
hours a day and 365 days of the year, with nominal time for a rest and
recreation. The coaching profession is not for the WEAK and PUNY. Its like
riding on the outside steps of a Freight Train through a tunnel. 2-1-1997
Northeastern State University at Tahlequah, Oklahoma inducted Jim
Killingsworth in the Athletic Hall of Fame (Inductee Class XII)

January 30, 1999 Idaho State University inducted Jim into the "RING OF
HONOR" reserved for people that have brought National and International
recognition to the University. His name was engraved on the wall at Holt
Arena formerly known as the Minidome.

Submitted by Wilburn J Killingsworth