Jim Killingsworth

Jim Killingsworth (1923-2007)

Teams coached: Idaho State Bengals, Oklahoma State Cowboys, TCU Horned Frogs
Idaho State record: 109-54 (.669)
Oklahoma State record: 22-31 (.415)
TCU record: 130-106 (.551)
Overall record^: 261-191 (.577)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  3  (1974, 1977, 1987)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  1  (1977)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  0
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  2  (1983, 1986)
• Southwest Regular Season Champion:  2  (1986, 1987)
• Big Sky Regular Season Champion:  3  (1974, 1976, 1977)
• Big Sky Tournament Champion:  1  (1977)

Awards:

 

• Southwest Coach of the Year:  3  (1982, 1986, 1987)
• Big Sky Coach of the Year:  2  (1974, 1977)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1979-1987	TCU
1977-1979	Oklahoma State
1971-1977	Idaho State
1964-1971	Cerritos
1961-1964	Tulsa (freshmen)

Jim Killingsworth Facts

• James Austin Killingsworth
• Born June 19, 1923
• Died June 10, 2007
• Hometown: Checotah, Oklahoma
• Alma Mater: Northeastern State University (BA, 1948)
• Began his coaching career at the prep level, spending many years coaching at Oklahoma high schools
• Joined Joe Swank’s staff at Tulsa in 1961, coaching the freshmen for three seasons
• Spent seven seasons as the head coach at Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA
  • Won the 1968 California Junior College Championship with the Falcons
• Hired by Idaho State in 1971, coaching the Bengals for six seasons
  • Reached the NCAA Tournament twice (Elite Eight in 1977) and won two Big Sky titles
• Left for Oklahoma State in 1977, but finished below .500 in each of his two seasons in Stillwater
• Finished his career coaching the TCU Horned Frogs for eight seasons
  • Helped create a winning culture at TCU, pulling the Frogs from the SWC basement to a postseason team
  • Reached two NITs and one NCAA Tournament (1987), the program’s first since 1971; named Southwest COY three times
  • Retired from coaching in March 1987, with 261 career Division I victories (130 at TCU)
• Passed away in 2007 from complications following an earlier stroke; he was 83 years old

Jim Killingsworth Coaching Tree

• Wayne Ballard (Idaho State)
• Jamie Dixon (TCU, Pittsburgh)
• Dennis Nutt (Ouachita Baptist, Texas State)
• Dickey Nutt (Southeast Missouri State, Arkansas State)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only