James Weir was an American college

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was a starting

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for the

Wyoming Cowboys The Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie, Wyoming, Laramie. Wyoming is a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 17 ...

' 1943 National Championship team and was an All-American. Weir, a 6'6 forward from

Green River, Wyoming Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 12,515 at the 2010 census. History The townsite of Green River, Dakota Territory was platte ...

, played for the Cowboys from 1940 to 1943, then returned to the Cowboys for the 1945–46 season after a stint in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During Weir's junior season, he averaged 10.1

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

, third on the team behind stars

Kenny Sailors Kenneth Lloyd Sailors (January 14, 1921 – January 30, 2016) was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s. A guard, he is notable for inventing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed ...

and

Milo Komenich Milan Melvin "Milo" Komenich (June 22, 1920 – May 25, 1977) was an American professional basketball player. His brother was fellow professional basketball player Bill Komenich. Collegiate career Born in Gary, Indiana, he was the son of Serbian ...

. The Cowboys won the

NCAA championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

, then beat

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

champion St. John's in a match-up of champions of the two major college tournaments. Weir received some All-America attention following the season. After the close of his collegiate career, Weir became head

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach at his hometown Green River High School, winning state championships in 1949 and 1950.Wyoming High School Activities Association football archives
accessed December 22, 2011

References

Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players American men's basketball players United States Army personnel of World War II Basketball players from Wyoming Forwards (basketball) High school football coaches in Wyoming People from Green River, Wyoming Wyoming Cowboys basketball players {{US-basketball-bio-stub