Jim Berry (2006) - Hall of Fame

Jim Berry

Induction:
2006

No one in the history of the University of Northern Iowa has coached more men's basketball games than Jim Berry, but the former Panther mentor's 13-year tenure at UNI tells only part of the story of a stellar, nearly 50-year coaching career.

Berry, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, returned to the Cedar Valley and took the reins at UNI in 1973 with 13 years of coaching experience already under his belt. After earning first team all-state honors in basketball and graduating from West High School in Waterloo in 1955, Berry embarked on a college career that saw him letter four times each in basketball and baseball at Creighton University. Berry also earned all-America status twice for his play on the hardwood for the Bluejays.

Upon graduation, Berry took on a pair of coaching positions at Creighton, serving both as the school's head freshman basketball coach and skipper of the baseball team. He held both positions from 1960-1962, before entering active duty in the U.S. Army from 1962-1964. Once the service to his country was complete, Berry returned to Waterloo to become head coach for both the boys basketball and girls golf teams at Columbus Catholic High School while, at the same time, earning a master's degree from UNI. He held both positions at Columbus until 1969, when he became head men's basketball and head men's golf coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. In 1970, Berry added athletics director to his list of duties at Loras, and he held all three positions until 1973, when he was hired as the 17th head coach in UNI men's basketball history.

Berry led the Panthers for 13 seasons and oversaw the program's jump from NCAA Division II to the Division I ranks, compiling 144 wins. He led the Panthers to the Division II playoffs in 1978-79, a year in which UNI posted an 18-11 season record. Remarkably, the Panthers earned a share of the Mid-Continent Conference title in 1981-82, and Berry also oversaw an 18-10 season in 1983-84, just three years after the Panthers made the move to Division I. That team, which knocked off the likes of Wisconsin and Kansas State, narrowly missed a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.

During his time at the helm of the UNI program, Berry coached 12 all-conference picks, including three-time honoree Randy Kraayenbrink, who also was an honorable mention all-America selection in 1984-85. At the time of his induction Berry's 354 games coached remained a UNI record.

After leaving UNI in 1986, Berry continued his coaching career at Union High School in La Porte City, Iowa, where he served as head boys' basketball coach from 1988-1997, head boys' golf coach from 1988-1998 and athletic director from 1989-1998. Berry, who is a member of the Iowa High School Basketball Hall of Fame, then returned to Columbus High School, where he was head coach of both the boys' basketball and boys' tennis teams.