Article by Julie Waecther, special to Adams State
When it comes to the numbers, Adams State University Alumnus, Jim Bevan ’84, ’86 is clearly a champion:
- 16 Coach of the Year Awards
- 75 All-Americans
- 6 Olympians
- 13 team titles
But Bevan will tell you that success was won by focusing on the person. He retires this summer after 40 years of coaching at Rice University in Houston, ending his 21st year as Head Coach of the Division I Rice Owls women’s track & field and cross country teams.
Last year he was inducted into the Texas Track & Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame, having been inducted into the Halls of Fame at both Adams State and Rice in 2017. Also that year, he received the Rice University Elizabeth Gillis Award for Exemplary Service. In 2007, the Conference USA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented Bevan with the Coaches’ Choice Award for cross country in recognition of his commitment to fostering student-athlete development and welfare through a positive athletic and academic atmosphere. His student-athletes at Rice have a perfect graduation rate, and his 2014-15 women’s cross country team boasted the highest GPA (3.76) among qualifying Conference USA teams.
Contemplating his upcoming retirement, Bevan said, “My biggest thing is, I enjoy working with people. And they’re paying me to do that! But what I enjoy the most is working with people day to day, so you can find that in other ways.”
Bevan competed in the long jump and triple jump for Adams State, winning the 1983 RMAC triple jump championship, coached by the late Dr. Joe Vigil ’53, ‘59.
“It’s really unbelievable when I think back,” he said. “I didn’t even know about cross-country until college. Then I became immersed in it at Adams, and there was no place that did a better job.”
Bevan earned a bachelor’s in history and physical education and a master’s in HPPE (Human Performance and Physical Education) from Adams State in 1984 and 1986, respectively.
“After I graduated and we came back from nationals, Coach asked me to be his graduate assistant coach. I hadn’t planned on this, but I didn’t want to let him down. We had a really good relationship, so I spent two more years and got my master’s – in Joe Vigil. He took me under his wing,” Bevan recalled, tearing up. “I’ll never know exactly why.”
He credits Vigil with both starting him in coaching and connecting him to Rice. “What is most amazing is, he had the science, as well as the other side, psychology, the human side. It’s rare to find somebody that is a master in both fields,” Bevan said. “He was very sensitive to student needs and how to motivate them. He knew how to read people and be empathetic but was also strong and challenging.”
Bevan explained Vigil used the exemplar method, teaching by example. “That’s the best way of teaching. And he was a great example for me. I was also fortunate at Rice to work with Victor Lopez, who was an amazing coach, as well.” Lopez is known as the “coaches’ coach.”
Both men were adherents of coaching education and pioneered the concept in North America. They also shared the Spanish language. In 1986, Vigil encouraged Lopez to hire Bevan for a new, full-time assistant coaching position at Rice.
“Coach told Victor, ‘You should hire this guy’ – in Spanish. Victor always said, ‘I’m not a coach; I’m a teacher.’ I consider myself a teacher. I was very fortunate to go from one master to the other.”
