Columbia Basin College Athletics

Jim Rodgers left his position as an assistant basketball coach at the University of Washington to take over the fledgling program at CBC in 1960. After an incredibly successful seven-year run at the helm of the program, his overall record stood at 155-33.

Rodgers’ coaching career was off to a memorable start with three consecutive NWAACC titles in his first three seasons. At the end of his third season, Rodgers’ players were getting recruited everywhere and almost all went on to success at four-year schools. In 1964, with a team of all-stars, nearly every game was a lopsided win. The Hawks completed a perfect 28-0 season with the program’s fourth consecutive title.

The word around the northwest was that the second best junior college team in the state was the non-starters at CBC. In 1965, Rodgers’ program won its fifth NWAACC Championship in a row, a record that remained unbroken at the time of his induction. Over the course of Rodgers’ seven years at CBC, he led his teams to five championships, one runner-up finish, and one sixth place finish.