Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2008, Jim Brooks set the tone for Pan American, spending 21 years as athletic director and 10 years as athletic director emeritus.
Jim Brooks was initially hired as the head football coach at Edinburg Junior College, the predecessor to UTRGV legacy institution Pan American College, in 1950, coaching the team's final season before transitioning to athletic director and department chair of health and physical education.
During Brooks’ tenure, he hired five hall of fame head coaches, including Al Ogletree (baseball), Sam Williams (men’s basketball), Oton “Tony” Guerrero (men’s golf), and Harry Mang and Don Russell (men’s tennis).
Brooks oversaw significant competitive milestones, including five men’s tennis NAIA national championships (1961-65), the 1963 men’s basketball NAIA national championship, and the 1971 College World Series team.
Over his 31-year career, Brooks oversaw the construction of the UTRGV Fieldhouse, Orville I. Cox Tennis Center, and Jody Ramsey Memorial Stadium, which housed the baseball team from 1974 to 2001.
