Amick honored in ceremony
The late James K. Amick wasn’t in Burlington very long, but like everywhere he went he left an impression.
Amick, who coached basketball at Burlington High School from 1961-63, was recently honored by Arizona Western College in a ceremony remembering him following his passing on Feb. 6 at his home in Yuma, Ariz. at age 85.
The Hobbs, N.M. native posted a 23-12 record at Burlington, the second stop on his coaching career of nearly four decades.
Burlington is one of three high schools at which he coached before moving on to the college ranks, starting with a 61-7 record at Fowler High School from 1958-61 and ending with a 39-29 record at Kofa, Ariz. High School from 1967-70.
In all, Amick was 123-48 at the high school level.
From 1964-67 he worked for the University of Colorado under a civil defense contract.
His college career began as an assistant at Arizona Western College from 1970-74, as he helped the team to a 111-25 record during that time. He moved on to become associate head coach at the University of West Virginia from 1974-78, helping them to a 63-52 record in that time.
Amick returned to Arizona Western from 1978-90, and again in 1996, posting a 292-91 record. From 1999-2017 he served as head basketball coach emeritus.
In all, his head coaching record was 415-139. As an assistant, his teams were 174-77.
His many accolades included being named the National Junior College Athletic Association Region I Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, winning the Leon Blevins Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, and in 2017 being inducted into the ACCAC Hall of Fame.
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