Jimmy Feix
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | August 1, 1931 |
| Died | October 5, 2014 (aged 83) Bowling Green, Kentucky |
| Playing career | |
| 1949–1952 | Western Kentucky |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1957–1968 | Western Kentucky (assistant) |
| 1968–1983 | Western Kentucky |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 106–56–6 |
| Tournaments | 4–2 (NCAA D-II playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 6 OVC (1970–1971, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1980) | |
| Awards | |
| Little All-American (1952) 3x OVC Coach of the Year (1973, 1978, 1980) Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Champions |
|
James Wyne Feix (August 1, 1931 – October 5, 2014) was an American football player and coach. He served as head football coach at Western Kentucky University 1968 to 1983, compiling a record of 106–56–6.
Feix attended Barret Manual Training School, a predecessor to Henderson City High School in Henderson, Kentucky. He played quarterback for Western Kentucky University from 1949 to 1952. His first start came in the third game of the 1949 season. In reference to his early success Feix said "I got to play a lot and played early. I remember that I was surrounded with a lot of good athletes." In 1952 he became the first WKU athlete to be named an All-American. He was also named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference team in 1951 and 1952 and was named to the conference's all-time team in 1988. As a senior in 1952, Feix guided the Hilltoppers to their first OVC football championship with a 9-1 record and the school's first bowl game appearance. WKU was invited to the Refrigerator Bowl in Evansville, Ind. where they beat Arkansas State 34-19. Feix Stats were very impressive that year. He led the nation's college quarterbacks with a 63.1 percent completion percentage, making good on 111 of 176 passes for 1,581 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also ranked fourth in the country in passing and sixth in total offense. During his entire playing career at WKU his teams went 24–12–2.
Drafted by the NFL's New York Giants, he unfortunately suffered an injury during a 1953 pre-season game forcing him to give up his playing career.
Feix, after his injury, set off for the United States Air Force. One of his many responsibilities while serving for the Air Force was to coach baseball, football and volleyball teams on the base. One day, Feix was coaching a 15-year-old how to pick off a base runner and at that moment he realized what he wanted to do with his life. "There I was out on that field in the sunshine, the breeze blowing and the 15-year old eating up what I was talking about", Feix said. "I went home that day at noon and told my wife, Frankie, 'we're gonna get out of this air force. I'm gonna try to find a coaching job somewhere because I think I wanna be a coach.'"
After serving four years in the Air Force, Feix returned to WKU in 1957 to become the Assistant Football Coach under Coach Nick Denes. Feix was in charge of the offensive backfield. "I learned a lot from Coach Denes", Feix said. "He was a great man and a great coach. The principle [sic] thing I remember always is he emphasized that the player was the most important part of the program. The student athlete was the key and not to be carried away with how great a coach you were or what kind of facilities you had." In 1968 after 11 years as the Assistant Football Coach, Feix was promoted to Head Coach, replacing the retiring Nick Denes. Feix continued as head coach until his retirement in 1983.
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