Videos: Blazer Ceremony | Interview | Acceptance Speech

jim sweeney

Butte Born, Bulldog Bred

James Joseph Sweeney was an American football player and coach, the head coach at Montana State University, Washington State University, and California State University, Fresno, compiling a career college football record of 201–153–4. Born in Butte, MT, Sweeney was the youngest of seven children of Will and Kate Sweeney; his father was a hard-rock miner who emigrated from Ireland.

After a collegiate football career at University of Portland, Sweeney returned to Montana to coach at Butte Central, for a season. He was its head coach from 1952 to 1955, then at Flathead in Kalispell from 1956 to 1959. Sweeney moved up to the college ranks in 1960 as an assistant coach at Montana State in Bozeman under Herb Agocs and was promoted to head coach in 1963. Coach Sweeney won 3 Big Sky conference championships in his five seasons with the Bobcats, Sweeney moved up to the Pac 8 Conference at Washington State, where he started with a one-year contract at $20,000 in 1968.

After 2 seasons leading Fresno State, He spent the 1978 season with the Oakland Raiders in John Madden season, and the 1979 season with the St Louis Cardinals under legendary coach Bud Wilkinson. Sweeney returned to Fresno State as head coach in December 1979 for 17 more seasons, where he won 8 conference championships, helping build "Bulldog Stadium". Sweeney married his high school sweetheart, Lucille, they had nine children. Jim’s son, Kevin, accepted in his father’s honor.

Videos: Blazer Ceremony | Interview | Acceptance Speech (coming soon)