Special Feature
February 25, 2003 11:47 AM | General
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| Jim McCormick
Special to MSNsportsNET.com
That’s what Jim McCormick says as he looks back on his experiences as a student-athlete at West Virginia University from 1960-63. Besides getting a good education, he had a huge helping hand in one of the institution’s most successful three-year basketball spans. He sparkled as a 6-foot-2, 172-pound guard on teams that combined for a 70-18 record, three Southern Conference titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. “Don’t forget, we also had an undefeated freshman team, too,” the New Martinsville native recalls. Led by Rod Thorn and McCormick, the 1959-60 frosh posted a 16-0 record and topped 100 points in 11 games. McCormick remains in close contact with Thorn, who eventually earned All-America recognition. Like his former teammate, McCormick might have gone on to find a niche in the National Basketball Association. But, as a sixth-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Royals, he suffered a broken foot when Wayne Embry fell on it just before the 1963-64 season started. So McCormick, armed with a bachelor’s degree in education, coached one year in junior high school at Spencer. Then he began a lengthy career in vocational rehabilitation work at the Colin Anderson Center in St. Mary’s. After spending three years there, he moved to Louisville, KY., where he worked 28 years for that commonwealth’s vocational rehabilitation program. He took early retirement nine years ago, and after working part-time for Kroger, Inc., he has made his retirement permanent. “I really enjoyed my work in the rehab field,” says McCormick, now 61. “But we decided we wanted to enjoy other things. So we moved to Naples, Fla., for a couple of years before returning to Louisville.” He and his wife, the former Linda Hatfield, are in the process of building a new home in Louisville. McCormick ranks 24th in points (1,156) and 16th in assists (253) on WVU’s all-time career lists. He also notched 318 rebounds. He averaged double digits in scoring each season – 12.7, 15.4 and 15.2 – to finish with an overall 14.5 average. In all, he played in 80 games. McCormick scored 20 or more points in 14 contests and 10 or more in 65. He is a member of the all-time team for the period 1956-65. It’s a classy combine that includes Jerry West, Rod Hundley, Lloyd Sharrar, Thorn and Don Vincent. “One game which sticks out in my mind was against North Carolina State in Greensboro (N.C.),” McCormick recalls. “I made a long, desperation shot which would have won the game in regulation time. But referee George Gasser ruled that it came after the buzzer.” He eventually led the Mountaineers to victory over the Wolfpack in overtime, 82-81, by sinking a pair of pressure-packed free throws. “That really felt good,” he says. “Later that season, someone sent me a picture which showed my (nullified) shot in the air and the red light atop the basket still hadn’t come on. So it really should have counted.” McCormick is proud of his career high of 35 points and well he should be. It came in a 101-99 upset of Wake Forest in Charleston. The Deacons went on to finish third nationally. Making his performance all the more memorable was that Billy Packer, veteran TV basketball analyst, stood out as a guard for Wake Forest. John Mensore, New Martinsville businessman and McCormick’s longtime best friend, recalls that the sharpshooter enrolled at WVU on a tuition-only grant. But it didn’t take long for George King to grant him a full scholarship. McCormick has two grown children. Mike, 37, is assistant manager of the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky. His daughter, Diana Dowling, lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., and has a son, Brandon. |
“Those
were the best years of my life.”
