Hall of Fame
Jim Gede was one of only two student-athletes in program history to earn four letters in each of his undergraduate years. Selected Towson’s Senior Athlete of the Year in 1953, Jim was a three-time All Mason-Dixon Conference soccer selection, a forward on the basketball team and hurdler/sprinter for indoor and outdoor track. His bid to qualify for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki ended due to a knee injury he suffered while training.
Coming out of high school Jim was accepted to several colleges, opting to attend Duke University on a scholarship. Upon arrival in Durham he had second thoughts and almost immediately hopped a bus that brought him back to Baltimore.
“He said it just didn’t feel right down there,” said his wife, Mary. “As the story goes Doc Minnegan had called Jim’s father and said he’d really like for Jim to come to Towson and asked if he could talk to him. His dad told Doc that Jim just happened to be on a bus back to Towson at that very time and that Doc could meet him at the bus station, which he did. The rest is history.”
The iconic Towson coach and his star athlete formed a special bond that lasted for decades. Jim later represented Doc as his attorney for 30 years.
After graduating from Towson Jim earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore. He subsequently worked as an assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore County before being elected judge of the housing court. After six years he entered the private sector full-time as a criminal and civil trial attorney, working until he was almost 90-years-old.
A member of the National Guard for four years, Jim was also active in the Towson Elks Lodge, serving as exalted ruler for two years and later as its secretary for 15 years. Jim was a member of Towson’s second Hall of Fame class when the 1953 graduate was inducted in 1964. He passed away on June 27, 2023 at the age of 94.
