TUCSON, Ariz. — Last Tuesday, Pima Community College lost coaching legend, Jim Mielke
“We didn’t have a track program when he came, so he is the track program," PCC Athletic Director, Jim Monaco said.
Jim Miekle joined Pima Athletics in 1975.
Five years after, he was able to bring the program to life.
“Taking the program from zero to a national championship with the men in 1980," former PCC Athletic Trainor, Ben Carbajal said.
In 2013, Coach Mielke was inducted into the Pima Athletics Hall of Fame.
He coached for over 60 years with Pima along with Sunnyside Junior High and High School.
“Just his impact, he had such a big footprint in this community," Carbajal said.
Even past his coaching career, Coach Miekle still managed to stay involved.
Whether it was going to basketball games or just talking to some of the athletes, he always wanted to stay with the PCC community.
“He’d always come upstairs and tap me on the shoulder and say, ‘what a great job you’re doing and everything looks great Jim,'" Monaco said. "He was just that kind of guy, he was always here.”
Throughout his time at Pima, the relationships with his athletes was most important.
“When he looked across at you, he didn’t see you where you were, he saw you where you could be," former PCC Athletic Director, Edgar Soto said.
Moving forward, Coach Miekle will be missed but he will always have a place with Pima Athletics.
“Every time we talk about championships, he’ll be the first one that won championships," PCC Head Track Coach, Chad Harrison said. "Everything we do it, he did it, so we got to make sure we keep that legacy going.”
Coach Mielke’s celebration of life ceremony will be Sunday, Nov. 11 at PCC's Center for the Arts.
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