Jimmy Adams, former URI star and coach of dominant Central High hoops teams, dies

Jimmy Adams, one of the most successful high school coaches in Rhode Island history, as well as an outstanding athlete himself, died Monday. He was 73.

Adams played football and basketball at the University of Rhode Island. He completed his playing career in 1957 and was named to the school's Hall of Fame in 1981. He also was a member of the Providence Gridiron Club Hall of Fame.

Adams excelled in both football and basketball at URI. Among other honors, he was an All-Yankee Conference selection in football and was named to Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1958.

He took a job at Central High, first as a teacher and coach and later as an assistant principal. He coached both football and basketball. It was in basketball where his teams excelled, at one point winning four straight state titles.

He moved on to coach basketball at Providence College under Dave Gavitt and later as head coach at Rhode Island College. It was at RIC where he spent the bulk of his career, 21 years in all. He was not only basketball coach but also assistant athletic director for the Anchormen. He retired in 2000 but continued to work part-time as a supervisor at the college's Recreation Center until the fall of 2008.

In basketball, his teams compiled a record of 247-287. In December 1999, the Providence Journal chose him as one of the century's Top 100 Most Influential Coaches and Athletes in Rhode Island.

Under his guidance, the Anchormen captured the ECAC Division III title in 1982-83. Adams was selected as the Little East Conference's Co-Coach of the Year in 1987-88 after RIC finished the regular season in first place.

Adams is survived by his wife Lola and his three children James III, Karen and Michael.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)