Hall of Fame
Jimmy Steward was a standout during the early years of the Northwest men's basketball program.
Playing for the legendary coach W.C. "Bill" Oakley, Steward spent two seasons with the Rangers, earning an 11-12 record as a freshman and a 21-6 overall record during his sophomore campaign in 1962-63. Northwest went on to win the North Half and finish as the MACJC runner-ups, falling by only a couple of points to Southwest Mississippi.
Though the exact record books are murky, Steward's contributions are clear and so are the lifelong impacts from his time at Northwest. The aforementioned 1962-63 team won more games at that time than any previous Ranger team, and it would take nearly 10 more years before that mark was surpassed by Henry B. Koon's MACJC championship squad (1971-72).
Steward was part of the 1962-63 team that featured names such as Don Allison, John Robbins and Jimmy Green, who Steward credits with "making him a better basketball player."
In August 1963, Steward married his wife, Betty, and the couple moved to Kinder, La. He worked a construction job there, but would soon return back to Northwest, finishing up his education. He would go on to spend 33 years farming over 2,000 acres of rice, soybeans and wheat, and was also featured in the farm publication "Rice in the Mississippi Delta".
Whether it was his work or his 58 years of marriage, Steward has never forgotten Northwest or his teammates. He remains in touch with several of his former peers and says he is grateful for the experiences that Northwest gave him.Â
"I played basketball in high school before Northwest, and I never saw the bond, love and synergy that contributed to all our talents like this team did," Steward recalls. "The whole town and county came out to see us win, and I am honored to have been such a part of such a great group of men as those on our 1962-63 team."
Steward has four sons - Jim, Chris, Stephen and Chad, along with 13 grandchildren, three great-grandsons and a great-granddaughter.
