Jim Pickens

James Edward Pickens

• School Western Kentucky University
• High School Butler High School

• Born March 1, 1927 in Princeton, KY USA
• Died June 13, 2000 in Bowling Green, KY USA

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Biographical Information

Jim Pickens was a college coach.

Pickens served in the US Army in Europe in 1945-1946. He was a star pitcher, quarterback and defensive back in college; he was the All-Ohio Valley Conference quarterback in 1948 and set a school record with four interceptions in a game. He signed with the Detroit Tigers and went 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA for the 1951 Davenport Tigers before a shoulder injury ended his career. He coached baseball and football at the high school level from 1952-1965 (203-58 in baseball). From 1966-1976, he was head coach of Western Kentucky University, going 180-186-4. He had the first 30-win team in school history in the 1973-1974 season. One of his players, Don Durham, went on to the majors. He later was an administrator at WKU, retiring in 1989. He died of Lou Gehrig's Disease in 2000.

Source: WKU