Jim Hockaday (2001) - M Club Hall of Fame - University of Memphis Athletics

Jim Hockaday

Induction:
2001

Jim Hockaday helped Tiger basketball make its mark on the nation in the mid 1950s.

The Selmer, Tenn., native came to Memphis in the fall of 1955 and played in 21 games for Gene Lambert's Tiger squad. He scored 74 points and had 87 rebounds that first season and aided the team in gaining its first bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Hockaday increased his scoring to 175 points as a sophomore and the Tigers finished the season with a 24-6 record and a bid to the NIT.
Memphis won three NIT contests before losing a thrilling 84-83 contest to Bradley in the finals at Madison Square Gardens.

During the 1957-58 campaign, Hock's junior year, the forward scored at an 11.3 point per game average as the U of M again posted a winning record.

In his final season, Hockaday poured in 350 points to average 15.2 points per game and he completed his Tiger career with 836 points scored during 93 games. From 1955 through 1959, the U of M had a combined record of 76-26 and captured the nation's heart as the NIT's "Dixie Darlings".