Southwestern Illinois Community College Men’s Basketball Coach Jay Harrington captured career victory #1000 on Monday, January 20 in Belleville vs. Jefferson College (Missouri).
Coach Harrington has been the Blue Storm coach since the 1979-1980 season accumulating 917 wins. His other stops include Western Kentucky University (14 wins) and Wabash Valley Jr. College (69 wins).
Jay was inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame in 1999, the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, and the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. On several occasions, he has been named Great Rivers Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, NJCAA Region 24 and Region 4 Coach of the Year, as well as IBCA Collegiate Coach of the Year.
Coach Harrington currently is #1 among active NJCAA coaches in victories. He only trails retired McKendree College Coach Harry Statham in all-time Illinois Collegiate wins who has 1122 in a 52- year career.
He was the chairman of the NJCAA Division I Basketball Committee for 12 years and was president of the NJCAA Basketball Coaches Association for 8 years.
