Jim Angelel

Jim Angelel was born with a love for athletics, and coaching was in his family line – his father, Mitch, was one of the Pierce County’s greatest high school track & field coaches. Jim was born on Aug. 16, 1939 in Seattle, and by the time he was at Tacoma’s Stadium High School he was an accomplished guard in basketball and high jumper in track & field. He competed in track at the University of Washington, from where he graduated in 1961, and immediately settled into teaching and coaching.

Jim worked as a teacher and coach in the Shoreline School District for two years, then made the move to the Clover Park School District, where he worked as a science teacher, coach and athletic administrator for the next 31 years.

During his tenure at Clover Park, her served as an assistant coach for football, boys basketball and boys track and was a head coach for boys track (16 years), girls basketball (four years) and cross country (one year). In addition, he served as the school’s athletic director from 1981 until his retirement in 1996.

As a basketball player at Stadium he had experienced success, helping the Tigers to a third-place finish at the 1957 state tournament. He also enjoyed success as a coach: he was an assistant coach for the 1968 boys track team that won the state title, and his 1974 and 1978 track teams placed second at state. His track squads won 10 South Puget Sound League championships and two West Central District titles. He produced many state individual and relay champions during his tenure at Clover Park High.

And then there was girls basketball. It probably came as no great surprise that the 1981-82 Clover Park girls team won the AAA state title while compiling a 24-1 record. The previous year, Angelel’s team placed fifth at the state tournament after winning the regional title. What was surprising is that the 1982 squad won the state title after placing third at the regional tournament as a result of a loss to Bellevue. Following the 1982 season, Angelel was named South Puget Sound League Girls Basketball Coach of the Year, the News Tribune Girls Basketball Coach of the Year, and the Pepsi/State Coaches Association Girls Coach of the Year, an award that covered all girls sports.