Daniel D. Buddy James
James
Born March 7, 1937, in Parkersburg, son of the late Douglas Eugene and Helen Lorraine Sbordone James.
Buddy was a 1956 graduate of Parkersburg High School. He was chosen First team All-State in Football and was chosen First Team All Northern Team. He was an undefeated state champion in wrestling pinning all his opponents in the first or second period, except the championship match which he won 5-0.
He went to Montana State University his freshman year on a Football scholarship, and he also lettered in Wrestling. The Montana State Football team won the NAIA National Championship in 1956. In 1988 he was inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame. The MSU team was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2004.
He transferred to Marshall University his Sophomore year, and was given a football scholarship. He also lettered in wrestling at MU. He received his B.A. Degree from Marshall, and his M.A., and post graduate work from: Marshall, WVU, and Salem. While at Marshall, he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.
After graduating from Marshall, he was hired at Jackson Junior High School in Wood County, where he taught Civics, and coached Football, Wrestling, Basketball and Track. He won championships in Football, Basketball, and Wrestling. He started wrestling in Junior High, in Wood County. He is known as the father of Wood County Junior High Wrestling. Each year they present the Buddy James Coach of the Year Award.
Buddy went to PHS in 1963, and served as Assistant Coach in Football, Wrestling, and Track. PHS won State Championships in Wrestling and Track. He became the Head Football Coach in 1968, as well as the head Conditioning Coach. He won State Championships in Football in 1976 and 1978, and was runner-up in 1973 and 1985. He was the winningest AAA Football Coach in WV, when he retired in 1990, and is the winningest football coach in PHS history. He also coached the North Bears in the North-South Classic in 1977.
He was chosen as a WV Sports Great from Wood County in 1963, WV Centennial Year. He was inducted into the Mid-Ohio Valley Hall of Fame in 1999, the Parkersburg All Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, as an athlete and a coach. He was inducted into the PHS Football Hall of Fame in 2010 as a player and a coach, also the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2017. He received the National High School Coach Gold Award in cooperation with Scholastic Coach Magazine in 1981, and many other coaching awards.
He was featured in the following books: “Wild Wonderful Winners: Great Football Coaches of West Virginia, in 1991.” He was also featured in the book: “Images of America (Parkersburg). Centennial Celebration, “100 Years of Big Red Football 1900- 2005,” “PHS 100 Year History of the Centennial of the School Building,” and “Parkersburg: A Bicentennial History.”
Through the years he has enjoyed woodworking, hunting, fishing, and showing horses with his two daughters.
He is survived by his wife Nancy Crowley James, daughter Pamela James-Perkins, grandchildren; Paige Elizabeth Bannister of Morgantown, Reilly Ann Bannister, of Huntington, Trey B. Hanna, and Von Perkins of Annapolis, MD.; great granddaughters, Ellana Rose Taylor and Jacqueline Lorraine Taylor, as well as his sisters; Nancy Marlow, and Carma Lehman of Parkersburg; brothers-in-law; Roger Crowley (Nancy) of Vienna, Michael B. Crowley (Dori) of Prairieville, La., and sisters-in-law; Susie Corbitt James of Chicago, as well as Sharon Crowley of Santa Cruz, Ca., and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved daughter Lorrie James Bannister, and brother Paul Joseph James.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital
A public memorial service will be held Sunday, April 19th at 2:00 pm at the Parkersburg High School Field House.
A Memorial Mass will be held for family and church friends on Saturday, April 18th, 11:00 am at St. Michael Church in Vienna.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.LeavittFuneralHome.com