Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1954-2013 (Creation)
Extent
0.42 linear feet (1 document case)
Name of creator
Biographical 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.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The collection consists of materials assembled by Jim Marking that reflect his professional activities as a basketball coach and educator from the mid twentieth century through the 1970s, with later materials documenting recognition of his career. Instructional content includes undated and dated mimeographed handouts, course outlines for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation courses, examinations and notebooks, and materials addressing ethics, psychology, and physiology of sport. Coaching documentation includes practice notes, drills, playbooks, scouting and recruiting records, weight training programs, scorebooks, and trend analyses in basketball. The collection also contains official programs, press clippings, team photographs, and published articles related to SDSU basketball, including the 1963 NCAA Division II National Championship. Administrative and personal materials include correspondence regarding basketball camps, internal SDSU memoranda, retirement cards and letters, retirement press coverage, obituary material, and documentation of Marking’s induction into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.
The collection documents collegiate and high school basketball coaching practices, physical education instruction, and athletic program development in South Dakota during the mid twentieth century. It offers insight into coaching philosophy, training methods, recruiting practices, and instructional approaches used at South Dakota State University and within the state’s secondary school system. The materials also document Jim Marking’s role in SDSU athletics, including championship seasons, conference competition, and his retirement and later recognition, contributing to the institutional history of SDSU and the broader history of basketball in South Dakota.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use. .sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/researcher-registration-form)
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Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction of materials from the collection is subject to the following conditions:
- Permission: Written permission must be obtained from the SDSU Archives for any reproduction, publication, or quotation of materials.
- Copyright: Users are responsible for complying with copyright laws and securing any necessary permissions from copyright holders.
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Acknowledgment: Any reproduced material must include proper acknowledgment of the South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections as the source.
For more information or to request permission, please contact the SDSU Archives.
Languages of the material
English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Marking, James (Subject)