Jim Sweeney (coach)

Jim Sweeney (September 1, 1929 – February 8, 2013) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at Montana State University (1963–67), Washington State University (1968–75), and California State University, Fresno (1976–77, 1980–96). Sweeney's 144 wins as the head coach at Fresno State are the most in the history of the program. He compiled a career college football record of 201–153–4.

Early years
Sweeney was born in Butte, Montana, and played college football at the University of Portland, and graduated in 1951. After his junior year, the school dropped football as an intercollegiate sport, and Sweeney spent his senior season of 1950 as a high school coach at Columbia High School in Portland.

Coaching career
Following graduation he returned to Montana and was a high school assistant at Butte Central for a season, then head coach from 1952 to 1955, and at Flathead High School in Kalispell from 1956 to 1959. Sweeney moved up to the college ranks in 1960 as an assistant coach at Montana State in Bozeman, and was promoted to head coach in 1963. He compiled a 31–20 (.608) record and three Big Sky conference championships in his five seasons with the Bobcats, where one of his starting quarterbacks was Dennis Erickson. At Montana State, Sweeney is credited with convincing Jan Stenerud, a Norwegian on a skiing scholarship, to go out for the football team as a kicker. Stenerud went on to become the only "pure" kicker inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After his success in Bozeman, he moved up to the Pac-8 Conference in 1968 at Washington State in Pullman, where he compiled a 26–59–1 (.308) record in eight seasons. His team's most noteworthy accomplishment was the defeat of Rose Bowl-bound Stanford in 1971 to garner him NCAA District 8 Coach of the Year honors. After a disappointing conclusion to the 1975 season (winless in conference), Sweeney resigned at WSU a week after the season ended and was promptly hired at Fresno State, where he coached for two seasons before becoming an NFL assistant for two years. He spent the 1978 season with the Oakland Raiders in John Madden's final season, and the 1979 season with the St. Louis Cardinals under Bud Wilkinson, who was fired before the season's end. Sweeney returned to Fresno State as head coach in 1980 for 17 seasons and he compiled a 144–74–3 (.658) record and eight conference championships (PCAA/Big West and WAC) in 19 seasons. Sweeney retired from coaching following the 1996 season with 201 wins in 32 seasons.

Head coaching record

 * Includes forfeit by Louisiana–Lafayette

Personal
Sweeney is the father of 9 children: Jim Sweeney, Peggy Sweeney, Sheila Sweeney, Carol Sweeney, Mary Lou Dion Sweeney, Daniel Sweeney, Colline Sweeney, Patty Negrete Sweeney and Kevin Sweeney, whom he coached while at Fresno State. His wife and mother of all his children, Lucille Sweeney, died in the 1980s. He has since married June Sweeney and they reside in Fresno, CA. Two of Jim's grandsons play for PAC10 football teams. Nate Fellner is at University of Washington, and Kyle Negrete USC. Grandson Beau Sweeney played at CAL before transferring in 2011. On February 8, 2013, Fresno State Athletics confirmed that the beloved football coach passed away shortly before 8pm PT. Coach Sweeney and his wife had recently moved to a senior living home due to his failing health, which included a stay at St. Agnes Medical Center. Jim Sweeney was 83.