RUSSELLVILLE — Jim Dickerson knows how to exit. Dickerson, 63, retired last week after 14 years as director of activities and transportation for the Russellville School District.
Among his duties, he served as athletic director, and the Cyclones and Lady Cyclones sent him off with three state championships in his final few weeks. The boys track team and boys and girls soccer teams won Class 6A state titles in May; the softball and girls basketball teams finished as state runners-up this spring.
Charlie Goodman, the head track and assistant football coach at Russellville High School, said he has always appreciated Dickerson’s willingness to make sure the track teams had what they needed to be competitive. The Cyclones have won back-to-back state titles.
“At our home meets, he has always tried to make sure things go well and that we put on a first-class meet,” Goodman said. “If things got too hectic, he would tell me to just go coach, and he would take care of the small details.
“I have always been confident that if we needed something, he would do everything in his power to make sure we had everything we needed. I think a good athletic director should always try to make each sport as competitive and efficient as possible, regardless of gate receipts or public support, and Jim is a man who has done that.”
Dickerson, who was named Athletic Director of the Year in Arkansas in 2006, counts many achievements during his tenure at Russellville — team championships, athletes with individual accomplishments, and completed building projects.
“Being on the verge of retirement brings out several emotions — elation at being able to get up when I want to and do whatever I want to do; sadness at not being able to see those people that I have been used to seeing every day for the past 14 years,” he said.
“As I move out of one arena and into another, I will still be able to attend athletic events, but without responsibilities. I will also be able to attend with my wife, which will be different. This trip has all been about relationships. It has been a great ride.”
Russellville is just the last stop in a career that saw Dickerson coach a wide variety of sports — football, basketball, track, softball, baseball, cross country and volleyball — all over the state. He also served in the military for 32 years.
He grew up in West Memphis and went to the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where he was active in intramurals before graduating in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. His first job was at Elaine, where he coached the 1976 junior boys basketball team to a 25-1 record, including a win against West Helena, which he remembered had one of the best players in the state. Dickerson coached a year at Grapevine and earned a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Arkansas in ’77.
He met his wife, Myra, while playing softball in Pine Bluff. They married that year.
He coached girls basketball at Little Rock McClellan from 1977-82. The Lady Lions won state basketball championships in 1980 and ’81 and built a 54-game winning streak that ended after four of the top six players went down with injuries just before the 1982 state tournament.
“I think we would’ve had one more,” Dickerson said.
He left McClellan to coach women’s basketball and volley ball at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
“I’ve always wanted to reach the highest point I could at whatever I did, when I was in the military and coaching as well, so that was what I wanted to do — be a coach on the college level,” Dickerson said. “We were very fortunate to have some good kids, and that’s what it takes — kids who are willing to work and do what’s needed to be done to be successful.”
In five years at Tech, Dickerson led the Golden Suns to three Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference volleyball titles — despite having no prior experience in that sport — and two AIC basketball titles. In 1987, the Suns reached the Final Four of the NAIA National Tournament, where they lost to Southwestern Oklahoma, the eventual champion, by two points. He laid the foundation for what became a perennial national power under his successor, Joe Foley.
Over his career, Dickerson coached basketball teams to 11 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins, including all five at Tech. His Golden Sun volleyball teams finished with national rankings of 13th, 10th and fifth.
Dickerson had spent 18 months with the Army during the Vietnam War and joined the Arkansas Army National Guard in 1984. But after five years at Tech and with three sons under 7, he decided to go full time as a recruiter for the Army National Guard. After 7 1/2 years, with a son in eighth grade and involved in sports, Dickerson was ready to return to coaching. He coached seventh grade, junior high and high school volleyball and basketball, and junior high track at Clarksville from December 1994 until July 1998, when he went to Russellville. He took two Clarksville basketball teams to state tournaments.
During his final year, Russellville teams won 6A East Conference titles in girls golf, boys basketball, boys track and baseball. Besides the three state championships two runner-up finishes, four teams — boys cross country, boys golf, boys basketball and baseball — finished third in the state in their sports.
He counts among his building accomplishments at Russellville the renovation of Cyclone Stadium, including a new fence and ticket booths; artificial turf; a new field house; new pole-vault, triple-jump and long-jump areas; and a resurfaced track. Other building accomplishments during his tenure include renovated tennis courts; the conversion of Gardner gym to an indoor practice facility for soccer, baseball and softball; the construction of Field 6 at Hickey Park for softball; and the renovation of Cyclone Gym, including new visitor bleachers, renovated home bleachers and wooden floors added to the auxiliary gym.
But Dickerson counts many more achievements: the change of the junior high and middle school to two athletic program systems; the addition of soccer, swimming and wrestling to the district; numerous conference championships at both the high school and junior high level; and state championships in girls soccer, boys soccer, volleyball, cross country, track and field, baseball and gymnastics.
His proudest triumphs, though, are personal.
“These are all big accomplishments to me, but the biggest is having a great family who continues to live in the Russellville area and remain close,” he said, “especially holding on to my wife, who has put up with me and followed me around the state for the past 34 years.
“I am most proud of the athletic careers of my three sons, how they worked hard, competed well and grew into great young men, husbands and fathers while I was athletic director of the Russellville School District.”
And the third generation of Dickersons is making its mark on the Cyclone programs. Granddaughter Anna Hughes is involved with volleyball and band and has been the junior high basketball and volleyball manager for the last two years. Grandson Jonathan Hughes participated in football, basketball and track as a seventh-grader this year.
“I am looking forward to watching them and my other grandchildren participate in the future,” he said.
After his retirement, Dickerson’s position will be split. Johnny Johnson will take over as athletic director. Jeff Terry will become supervisor of transportation.
Goodman has seen firsthand the difficulties of Dickerson’s dual position.
“He is a guy who’s always been in a bad position and handled it with class and never burdened anyone else with his problems,” Goodman said. “In most other districts, each of those is usually a one-man job. I feel like he probably has the most difficult job in the district, and he has done a great job in both areas. He is one of the most professional men I’ve ever met, and he has stayed very professional in extremely difficult times.”
Dickerson hadn’t planned to retire now. He figured he’d work another five or six years.
“But a few months ago, I started looking at it, and I can retire now and make about the same amount of money as I can working,” he said. “I’ll have my military retirement, Social Security and my teacher retirement, so we’re not going to have to change our way of living very much.
“That’s a whole lot better than getting up at 5 every day and working until 10 or 11 at night. I’ll try this for a while.”
With four children nearby — daughter Shane Hughes in Russellville; and sons Erik in Clarksville, and Matt and Drew, both in Russellville — as well as eight grandchildren and more on the way, Dickerson has lots of reasons to retire.
Goodman said he will remember Dickerson’s example.
“Jim is first and foremost a good Christian man,” Goodman said. “He has always been a good steady role model for young people, especially his fine family. He and Myra are always doing for others way beyond what other people would normally do.
“Jim has always been approachable and has listened whenever I needed an ear, guided when I needed guidance, and most of all been supportive and appreciative of our [coaches’] efforts for our kids.”
River Valley Ozark, Pages 138 on 07/01/2012