Jim Hess

James Hess (born December 1, 1936) is a former American football college coach. He also was a scout for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League.

Jim Hess
Biographical details
Born (1936-12-01) December 1, 1936
Farmersville, Texas
Playing career
1956–1957Paris JC
1958–1959Southeastern Oklahoma State
Position(s)Fullback, cornerback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1961–1962McKinney HS (TX) (assistant)
1963–1964Rockwall HS (TX)
1965–1966Kilgore HS (TX)
1967–1970Rice (DL)
1971Baytown Sterling HS (TX)
1972–1973Angelo State (DC)
1974–1981Angelo State
1982–1988Stephen F. Austin
1990–1996New Mexico State
Head coaching record
Overall134–108–5 (college)
Tournaments4–2 (NAIA D-I playoffs)
1–1 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 NAIA Division I (1978)
1 LSC (1978)
1 Gulf Star (1985)
Awards
NAIA Coach of the Year (1978)
LSC Coach of the Year (1977)

Early years

Hess was a native of Farmersville, Texas. He attended Farmersville High School. He later enrolled at Paris Junior College. He transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University after his sophomore season. He received his master's degree from the University of North Texas in 1966.[1]

Professional career

Hess began his football coaching career at Farmersville High School in 1959, winning one district title. He then was hired as an assistant at McKinney High School from 1961 to 1962. He coached at Rockwall High School from 1963 to 1964, where his team captured the 1963 Class AA state championship. He was hired at Kilgore High School from 1965 to 1966. In 1967, he became an assistant coach at Rice University. In 1971, he returned to the high school ranks as the head coach at Sterling High School.[1]

In 1972, he was hired at Angelo State University as the defensive coordinator. He was the head football coach from 1974 to 1981. In 1977, he was named the conference Coach of the Year. In 1978, the team went undefeated (14-0) and won the NAIA Division I Football National Championship, while he received NAIA Coach of the Year honors. He led the Rams to six Top 20 rankings and a 65-23 (.731) mark, at the time the highest winning percentage in school history. He was also one of the few coaches to win more than 100 games at the I-AA level.[1]

He coached at Stephen F. Austin State University from 1982 to 1988, where he compiled a 47–30–2 record, including a 10–3 mark in his final season. He led the school to five winning seasons, its first-ever conference title in 1985 and earned conference Coach of the Year honors. He resigned at the end of the 1988 season with a 47-30-2 (.608) record, the highest winning percentage in school history at the time. In 1989, he was named the athletic director. During his time with the school, he was instrumental in moving the program from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and into Division I-AA, while helping to renovate the athletic facilities.[1]

Hess was named the head coach at New Mexico State University in 1990, where he inherited a 17-game losing streak. Although his Aggie team was called the “worst team in America” in 1992 by Sports Illustrated, he led the program to its first winning season in 14 years with a 6-5 mark, while being named the Big West Coach of the Year. He was fired in 1996 after his second 1–10 season at the school. He was the fourth winningest coach in school history with a 22-55-0 record. He finished with a career college coaching record of 134–108–5.[1]

Personal life

Hess was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as an area scout for the Midwest in 1997, where he remained until 2006. Sean Payton and him are credited with "finding" Tony Romo in 2006, then an unknown, undrafted free-agent from Division I-AA Eastern Illinois.[2] Hess is currently the color commentator for football games at Angelo State University.

Head coaching record

College
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Angelo State Rams (Lone Star Conference) (1974–1981)
1974 Angelo State 5–63–68th
1975 Angelo State 8–2–17–1–12nd
1976 Angelo State 5–5–13–3–15th
1977 Angelo State 8–25–2T–3rd
1978 Angelo State 14–07–01stW NAIA Division I Championship
1979 Angelo State 9–35–2T–2ndL NAIA Division I Semifinal
1980 Angelo State 8–2–15–1–12ndL NAIA Division I Quarterfinal
1981 Angelo State 8–35–2T–2nd
Angelo State: 65–23–340–17–3
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Lone Star Conference) (1982–1983)
1982 Stephen F. Austin 6–54–3T–2nd
1983 Stephen F. Austin 7–45–23rd
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Gulf Star Conference) (1984–1986)
1984 Stephen F. Austin 7–3–11–3–15th
1985 Stephen F. Austin 9–24–1T–1st
1986 Stephen F. Austin 5–61–35th
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Southland Conference) (1987–1988)
1987 Stephen F. Austin 3–7–11–5T–6th
1988 Stephen F. Austin 10–35–12ndL NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
Stephen F. Austin: 47–30–220–18–1
New Mexico State Aggies (Big West Conference) (1990–1996)
1990 New Mexico State 1–101–67th
1991 New Mexico State 2–92–57th
1992 New Mexico State 6–53–3T–4th
1993 New Mexico State 5–64–34th
1994 New Mexico State 3–82–58th
1995 New Mexico State 4–73–4T–6th
1996 New Mexico State 1–100–56th
New Mexico State: 22–5515–32
Total:134–108–5
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References
  1. "Aggies Honor Former Football Coach Jim Hess". New Mexico State University. October 17, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  2. "Romo: A local man's dream". Retrieved February 15, 2020.
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