Born August 8, 1915, Philadelphia, Pa. Died March 22, 1981.

One of the most successful track coaches in the world while at Villanova University, James "Jumbo" Elliott was famed for getting his athletes ready for the big meets, whether they were the IC4A Championships, which his teams dominated for years, or the Olympic Games, where he produced 28 competitors.

A 1935 graduate of Villanova where he ran the sprints and middle distances, Elliott took over at Villanova in 1949 and until his death in 1981 achieved a coaching record that will be hard to duplicate. During that span, his teams won eight national collegiate team titles, three National AAU team crowns and 39 IC4A indoor, outdoor and cross country championships. Individually, his athletes won 316 IC4A titles, 82 NCAA crowns and 62 National AAU championships. They set 22 world records outdoors and another 44 indoors. His Olympic gold medalists were Ron Delany in the 1956 1,500, Charles Jenkins in the 400 also in 1956, Don Bragg in the 1960 pole vault, Paul Drayton in the 1964 4 x 100-meter relay and Larry James in the 1968 4 x 400. A "part-time" coach, he also was a successful businessman in construction equipment.