James (Jim) Brown

Omaha Benson High School (Neb.) graduate Jim Brown was a decorated swimmer at Wayne State from 1964 to 1968. He was a two-time Most Valuable Swimmer and four-year letter winner helping the Wildcats win the Nebraska College Conference and NAIA District 11 team titles all four years in the pool. Individually, Brown captured 11 NCC titles and swam on five championship relay teams and collected another 10 NAIA District 11 titles with six more relay championships specializing in the breaststroke and butterfly. He was a NAIA National qualifier all four years but missed the national meet his freshman season in Eau Claire, Wisc., because he was stranded in Worthington, Minn., due to a snowstorm. Brown closed his Wildcat swimming career holding six school records – five in individual events. Following his days at WSC, Brown was a teacher, administrator/athletic director, and coach at Elkhorn High School for 33 years.  He was head coach of the three-time Girls Class B State Track and Field Championship teams in 1998, 1999, and 2000, where he coached two-time Olympian Alice Schmidt and was named Nebraska Coaches Association Coach of the Year. During retirement, Brown stayed active in swimming and currently holds four Nebraska (U.S. Masters) state records in the freestyle and butterfly events for ages 75-79. He also served as a series manager for a number of professional sports car racing series from 2001 to 2015 until he retired. James Brown currently resides in Omaha, Neb., with his wife Vicki. He was inducted into the WSC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.