| James Saunders "Jimmy" Upton | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6, 1949 Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Died | March 17, 2003 (aged 53) Minden, Louisiana |
| Occupation | Track athlete; Business |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Spouse | Divorced |
| Children | Timothy French "Tim" Upton (born 1971) and Allison Upton Cooper |
| Parents | Rufus Horace Upton and Mary Berry Upton |
| Notes
Track star Upton was one of the first two athletes in his hometown of Minden, Louisiana, to have achieved all-American designation.
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James Saunders "Jimmy" Upton (August 6, 1949 - March 17, 2003) was a college and high school track star from Minden, Louisiana, who was inducted into the University of Louisiana at Monroe Hall of Fame. In 1971, Upton was a United States Track and Field Federation All-American hurdler. He had the second best time ever at ULM in the Intermediate Hurdles.
Upton was born to Rufus Horace Upton (1924-1983) and the former Mary Berry (born 1928) in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish, in northwestern Louisiana. Rufus Upton was a captain in the U.S. Army during World War II. Upton graduated from Minden High School in 1967. He was in the school choir, the Future Business Leaders of America, and the Latin Club. He played basketball too, but it was as a track runner, under Coach William O. "Bill" Huth, that he most excelled.
In 1967, Upton ran in the Golden West Relays in San Francisco in what was considered the most competitive track meet in the country. He ran in the nationals 200-yard race and in the 180-yard low hurdle race. He finished in fourth place in the hurdles race with a time of 18.8 seconds. The winner, William "Bill" Tipton of Pontiac Central High School in Pontiac, Michigan, set a new national record of 18.3. Upton's was the fourth fastest ever for a race on a turn. R. W. "Bob" Jarvis an official of the Golden West Relays, in an email to T.D.Carey 12/2006 said that the runners were aided by a 3.74 m.p.h. wind. The maximum allowable wind speed is 4.473 m.p.h. Upton capped his high school career by being named All-American in track.
After high school, Upton attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge on a track scholarship for his freshman year. He ran the maximum five events permitted while he was on the LSU track team. He transferred to ULM, then known as Northeast Louisiana State College, where Robert E. "Bob" Groseclose (1920-2002) was his coach. Groseclose coached track at ULM for twenty-nine years, a record duration among all coaches in all sports at the university. In 1996, ULM named its track field to honor Groseclose, a native Texan. Upton graduated from ULM and was a member of the university alumni association.
At ULM, Upton was shifted to the longer hurdle race, the 440-yard or 400-meter hurdles. He was named an NCAA All-American in 1972. Only one other athlete from his hometown of Minden, James Britt, of the LSU football team, had received "All-American" designation. Some of Upton's records still stand at ULM. In 1994, he was inducted into the ULM athletic Hall of Fame and the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was inducted into the ULM Graduate N Club.
At the time of his death, Upton was a safety director for a trucking company. He was divorced. He was survived by his mother; a son Timothy French "Tim" Upton (born 1971), a New Orleans lawyer, and his wife, Patricia Upton; a daughter, Allison Upton Cooper and husband, Brett Cooper, of Jena, the seat of La Salle Parish; sister, Ellen Upton Madden of Bossier City, and one grandchild.
Services were held on March 20, 2003, at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Minden with Methodist minister Joe Hunter officiating. Upton is interred next to his father in the Minden Cemetery.