Jim McCafferty
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
March 14, 1916 Scammon, Kansas |
| Died | September 18, 2006 (aged 90) Seattle, Washington |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1954–1957 | Loyola New Orleans |
| 1957–1963 | Xavier |
James Joseph "Big Jim" McCafferty (March 14, 1916 – September 18, 2006) was an American basketball coach for the Loyola Wolfpack and Xavier Musketeers.
Showing early signs of his eventual 6'8", 280-pound frame which would earn him the nickname "Big Jim", James Joseph McCafferty was born in Scammon, Kansas, weighing 19 pounds. Shortly thereafter, his family moved to Henryetta, Oklahoma, where McCafferty grew up and played high school football. He was recruited by Loyola of the South to play football, but when the school dropped its football program after his freshman year, he switched to playing basketball for three seasons (1940–43). As a senior, he helped lead Loyola to a Dixie Conference Championship, and was named MVP of the tournament.
After graduating with a degree in physical education in 1942, McCafferty remained at Loyola as the assistant coach in both basketball and track. He was the assistant under Coach Jack Orsley when the Wolfpack won the NAIA championship in 1945. Then in 1948, McCafferty was invited to coach Team USA at the Central American Olympic Games in Panama, and he led the U.S. to a gold medal.
McCafferty became Loyola's head basketball coach in 1953, and led the Wolfpack for four seasons, including Loyola's first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1954 and 1957. Unfortunately, the Wolfpack lost in the first round in both tournaments. After the 1957 season, he was named head coach at Xavier University.
In his first season at Xavier, McCafferty led the Musketeers to the NIT, which it won against longtime rival Dayton, then coached by legendary Tom Blackburn. Then, in 1961, the Musketeers made it to their first NCAA Tournament.
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