Jim "The Legend" Blunt

Have you ever pondered the word greatness and its intrinsic meaning and defining attributes? Of course we have all experienced great moments within our lives. But can you honestly say that you have achieved or even experienced true greatness. By definition we all know that the word "great" is defined as "a person who has achieved importance or distinction".  Do you know anyone like that?

We at OSX Fitness did.

On Sunday November 4, 2007 OSX Fitness lost a dear and close friend. Jim "The Legend" Blunt left us quietly and peacefully after a long courageous battle with diabetes at just 52 years of age. Jim dedicated 35 years of his life coaching and mentoring children and young adults in the CYO and CYM organizations of the Catholic Diocese of Delaware.  It's been estimated that Jim coached over 6000 kids in his lifetime and he remembered every single one of them by name.

It was evident that Jim had a lasting impression on everyone that knew him as over 5000 gathered to say goodbye at his memorial service.  Former players, coaches, parents, teachers, community leaders, current players, friends and family all gathered together to celebrate the legacy that Jim created in his short life.

Jim left behind a coaching legacy that was nothing short of spectacular. JB, as everyone grew to know him, was an enigma by today's standards. He spent 35 years coaching and mentoring grade school and junior high school children for no pay. It was all volunteer work.  He coached football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and his true love track and field. It must be noted here that Jim won 11 CYO/CYM Track and Field Championships and won gold at the Penn Relays 7 times. In his younger days JB refereed basketball and baseball games when he wasn't coaching to earn a few extra dollars.

JB never really cared much about money. It seemed that if he ever had money he always gave it away.  I remember I was helping JB run a basketball tournament and the two of us were standing together after a game talking. A young boy approached JB and asked JB if he had a couple dollars he could borrow. He wanted to buy a drink at the snack bar after his game. JB reached into his pocket a pulled out his last $10 and handed it over to the young man with the stipulation that the he share the remainder of the money with his friends. How many of you would do that today?

Just weeks before his death Jim’s hot water heater broke and he refused to let anyone know that he only had cold water in his house. Rather than having it fixed he took what little money he had and bought custom-made shirts for his volleyball team. He always said “You have to look good in order to play good”.

When I first met Jim 12 years ago diabetes had begun to take its toll on his life. He had had several operations on his feet and later it would confine him to a wheel chair. He never let the disease deter him from his coaching abilities or commitment to his kid’s or his teams that he coached. He could be seen at every practice and at every game coaching from the sidelines or in the stands in his wheel chair with that million dollar smile and that infectious laugh that was so contagious and so wonderful to hear. If you heard it now it would make you smile.

People like Jim Blunt come along but once in a lifetime and I was honored to have known him. He was a mentor, a coach and a friend to literally thousands. There are so many stories out there about Jim that it could fill an entire library. The funny thing is that I never heard anyone ever utter a bad word about Jim Blunt. He was who he was and there will never be another like him. He was truly one of the the great ones.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I am just going to miss my old friend.

If you would like to share a story about JB send it to osxadmin@osxfitness.com and we will post it on our site for all to see.