Jim Kehoe

James Henry Kehoe, Jr. (June 3, 1918 – January 17, 2010) was an American athletics coach and university administrator. He served as the athletic director at the University of Maryland from 1969 to 1978, during which time he was responsible for the hiring of future Hall of Fame coaches Lefty Driesell, Jerry Claiborne, Bud Beardmore, and Chris Weller.

Early life and military service

Kehoe was born on June 3, 1918 in Bel Air, Maryland. In high school, he was a state champion runner. Kehoe enrolled at the University of Maryland in 1936 and competed in track and field, in which he exceled as a middle-distance runner. He set school records in the two-mile run and 880-yard run. He graduated from Maryland in 1940.

After college, Kehoe joined the United States Army and served in the Pacific during World War II.

Professional career

After the war, he returned to the University of Maryland as its track and cross country coach in 1946. During his tenure, he built the programs into a national powerhouse and won multiple conference championships. When he retired from coaching, his track teams had a 27-meet winning streak and his cross country teams a 29-meet streak. Kehoe's teams had captured 48 cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track championships in the Southern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.