Hall of Fame
Jim Board took over as starting point guard in 1963-64, earning NAIA All-American Honorable Mention by leading the men's basketball team to an NAIA National Runner-Up finish while averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 rebounds and shooting 47.2% from the field and 76.2% from the foul line. In 1964-65, Board led his team to the NAIA District Playoffs by averaging 10.9 points while shooting 36.6% from the field and 81.8 percent from the foul line. He was also part of the Hall of Fame 1962-63 NAIA National Championship Team. Board was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2011 because of his philanthropic efforts on behalf of UTRGV Athletics.
"I played two years at St. Edward's, but we couldn't beat Pan Am, and if you can't beat them, join them," Board said. "I made a phone call to Coach Sam [Williams], and we visited for a little bit, and two days later I was in Edinburg. And 59 years later, I'm still here.
"Giving back has always been very important to me. A number of years ago, a few of us met and decided we wanted to do something nice for Coach Williams and we raised $265,000 for the Sam Williams Endowed Scholarship and another $235,000 for the athletic department. We can't write a check for $50,000, but we can give our time."
