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Marking, Jim
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History
Jim Marking was born April 26, 1927, in Parkston, South Dakota, and was raised by his grandparents. He earned seven varsity letters at Parkston High School, where he excelled in football. After service in the United States Navy, he enrolled at South Dakota State University. Although he did not make the university’s basketball team, he remained committed to the sport and, during his senior year, served as head coach at Bruce High School in Bruce, South Dakota. He graduated from SDSU in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.
Marking began his coaching career at Hayti High School, where from 1950 to 1954 his teams compiled a record of 117 wins and 13 losses. Hayti won the South Dakota Boys State Class B Championship in 1954 and finished as runner up twice. Beginning in 1956, he coached at Watertown High School, where his teams posted a 78 and 35 record, won the South Dakota Boys State Class A Championship in 1959, and finished as runner up twice.
In 1960, Marking joined South Dakota State University. As assistant coach under Jim Iverson, the men’s basketball team won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1963. Marking served as head coach from 1965 to 1974, leading the team to four North Central Conference championships in 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1973, and five NCAA postseason appearances. At the time of his retirement in 1974, he was the winningest coach in SDSU men’s basketball history, with a record of 148 wins and 80 losses. He also served as the university’s tennis coach for five years. After leaving SDSU, he was employed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Dakota until his retirement in 1987.
Over 24 years of basketball coaching, Marking compiled a combined record of 386 wins and 137 losses. His high school coaching record was 194 wins and 48 losses. His SDSU freshman teams posted a 44 and 9 record, and his varsity teams finished 79 and 45 in conference play. Throughout his career, he worked with student athletes as a teacher, coach, and advisor.
Marking received numerous honors, including induction into the South Dakota Hall of Fame, South Dakota High School Coaches Hall of Fame, South Dakota Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, North Central Conference Hall of Fame, SDSU Hall of Fame, and Watertown High School Hall of Fame. He received the SDSU Distinguished Alumnus Award, the South Dakota Press Association Distinguished Athletic Award, and was named South Dakota College Coach of the Year in 1970. On December 21, 1974, Governor Richard F. Kneip issued an executive proclamation declaring “Jim Marking Day.”
On August 22, 1952, he married Carola Koehn, a high school friend and a 1982 graduate of South Dakota State University in Home Economics. They had five children. Carola Marking died on March 18, 2012. Jim Marking died on January 19, 2013, and is buried in Brookings, South Dakota.
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Field of Activity: Basketball--Coaching
Occupation: Basketball coaches
Associated Groups: South Dakota State University