Knox College Athletics

Jim Pogue graduated from Knox in the late 1940's, after completing an outstanding intercollegiate basketball career at our school.  During his playing days he was voted most valuable player, was all-conference, and served as team captain.  In 1947 he was the team's leading scorer.  He was a member of the 1946-47 team that finished the season as Co-Midwest Conference Champions with Beloit.  He is remembererd by his teammates from that era as a driven player.  He also served as president of the College Athletic Board of Control his senior year.
           
Following his graduation from Knox, Jim became a teacher, coach, and athletic director at the then newly created ROVA high school in Knox county.  ROVA was a consolidated school that included then the small towns of Rio, Oneida, Victoria, and Altona.  During the course of his first season as head basketball coach he blended the talents of his players beautifully and by tournament time, the Tigers defeated Galesburg High School in the regional finals.  This team went on to win the sectional tournament as well, earning the opportunity to participate in the "sweet 16" at the University of Illinois in Champaign.  The Illinois state tournament at that time had only one level of competition and was not divided into two classes the way it is today so this was an incredible accomplishment for such a small school with an enrollment of only 143 students.  Unfortunately, ROVA was defeated in the opening round by Tilden Tech from Chicago, led by Johnny (Red) Kerr.
           
Jim's second basketball team at ROVA won the regional title the next year and he coached two other Tiger teams to the Knox County tournament championship.  Jim was later a teacher and head basketball coach at Corpus Christi High School in Galesburg.
           
Jim is now retired and lives in Galesburg after having a long career in the field of education and private business.  He, along with his two brothers, is a veteran of the United States Army, having served in World War II.