Jim Killingsworth
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
June 19, 1923 Checotah, Oklahoma |
| Died | June 10, 2007 (aged 83) Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Playing career | |
| ?–1948 | Northeastern State |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961–1964 | Tulsa (freshmen) |
| 1964–1971 | Cerritos College |
| 1971–1977 | Idaho State |
| 1977–1979 | Oklahoma State |
| 1979–1987 | TCU |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Big Sky Coach of the Year (1974, 1977) | |
James Austin "Jim" Killingsworth (June 19, 1923 – June 10, 2007) was an American college basketball coach. He was best known for his tenures at Idaho State University and Texas Christian University (TCU).
Killingsworth played college basketball at Northeastern State University and began his coaching career in 1948 at the high school level in Oklahoma. After many years of success, he left for the college ranks to coach the freshman team at Tulsa, then took the head coaching job at Cerritos College in 1964. In seven seasons at Cerritos, Killingsworth compiled a 157–46 record and led the Falcons to the 1968 California junior college championship. He then took the head coaching position at Idaho State. In his six seasons at Idaho State, Killingsworth led the Bengals to a 163–109 record, including three Big Sky Conference regular-season titles and the inaugural Big Sky Tournament title in 1977. The 1976–77 season was his last at Idaho State and was capped off by the Bengals making a run to the Elite Eight of the 1977 NCAA Tournament following a 76–75 upset of UCLA behind the play of center Steve Hayes.
Following his successful tenure at Idaho State, Killingsworth was hired as head coach at Oklahoma State after Kansas State's Jack Hartman took the job and resigned two days later. After two losing seasons, the first in his career at any level, he left the Cowboys to take the head coaching job at TCU in the Southwest Conference (SWC). Nicknamed "Killer" during his time at the Forth Worth, Texas school, Killingsworth raised the profile of a school that had experienced limited basketball success in recent seasons. In eight seasons, he led his teams to a 130–106 record and in 1986–87, he led the team to a 24–7 record, an SWC title, and the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years. Following the 1986–87 season, Killingsworth retired, ending a 38-year career of coaching.
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