Jim Sochor

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Jim Sochor
Biographical details
Born(1938-02-11)February 11, 1938
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 2015(2015-11-23) (aged 77)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Playing career
1957–1959 San Francisco State
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1960–1965 San Francisco State (assistant)
1967–1969 UC Davis (assistant)
1970–1988 UC Davis
1996–1998 Scottish Claymores (OC)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1989–1991 UC Davis
Head coaching record
Overall156–41–5
Bowls0–1
Tournaments4–8 (NCAA D-II playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
As a player
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1999 (profile)

Jim Sochor (February 11, 1938 – November 23, 2015) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Davis from 1970 to 1988 during which time compiling a record of 156–41–5 and won 18 consecutive conference championships, then a college football record. Sochor also served as the athletic director at UC Davis from 1989 to 1991. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1999.

Contents

Early years and playing career

Sochor was born February 11, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He grew up in San Francisco, California. Sochor played football as a quarterback at George Washington High School in San Francisco. He also played on the basketball team. He went on to play quarterback at San Francisco State University from 1957 to 1959, leading the San Francisco State Gators to three Far Western Conference (FWC) championships.

Early coaching career

Sochor started his coaching career as an assistant at San Francisco State from 1960 to 1965. He then served as an assistant at the University of California, Davis from 1967 to 1969.

Head coach

Sochor became the head coach at UC Davis in 1970. Following his first year there, he had a streak of 18 consecutive conference championships, from 1971 to 1988 (15 outright, three shared). The only other college football program in NCAA history on any division level for this remarkable streak has been Mount Union College. His overall record between 1970 and 1988 was 156–41–5, a winning percentage of .785. In conference games under Sochor, the Aggies were 92–5. He had winning streaks of 41 and 38 in conference games. His Aggies were the final poll leaders at the end of the regular season in 1983 and 1985.

He was named national coach of the year in NCAA Division II in 1983. He was the coach of future NFL quarterbacks Mike Moroski and Ken O'Brien and kicker Rolf Benirschke. He was also a mentor to several future head coaches including Dan Hawkins, Paul Hackett, Mike Bellotti, Chris Petersen, Gary Patterson, and Bob Biggs.

1982 Palm Bowl

Sochor led the 1982 Aggies to the Palm Bowl in McAllen, Texas for the NCAA Division II national football championship against the Jim Wacker-led Southwest Texas State, but lost 34–9. Aggie Quarterback Ken O'Brien had suffered leg and ankle injuries in the semifinal game two weeks before, and as a result reserve Scott Barry had to lead the offense.

Later life and career

Sochor served as the UC Davis director of athletics from 1989 to 1991. He served as the coach of the golf team for five years starting in 1992.

Sochor later served as the offensive coordinator of the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe for three years. They won World Bowl '96, 32–27, over the Frankfurt Galaxy during his time there. In 1984 and 1988 he served as the assistant coach in the East–West Shrine Game.

Sochor died of cancer on November 23, 2015. [1]

Honors

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
UC Davis Aggies (Far Western / Northern California Athletic Conference)(1970–1988)
1970 UC Davis 6–42–2T–3rd
1971 UC Davis 9–15–1T–1st
1972 UC Davis 6–2–25–01stL Boardwalk
1973 UC Davis 7–34–1T–1st
1974 UC Davis 9–15–01st
1975 UC Davis 7–35–01st
1976 UC Davis 8–25–01st
1977 UC Davis 11–15–01stL NCAA Division II Semifinal
1978 UC Davis 8–35–01stL NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
1979 UC Davis 6–3–15–01st
1980 UC Davis 7–2–15–01st
1981 UC Davis 6–44–1T–1st
1982 UC Davis 12–15–01stL NCAA Division II Championship
1983 UC Davis 11–16–01stL NCAA Division II Semifinal
1984 UC Davis 9–26–01stL NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
1985 UC Davis 9–25–01stL NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
1986 UC Davis 10–15–01stL NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
1987 UC Davis 8–25–01st
1988 UC Davis 7–3–15–01stL NCAA Division II First Round
UC Davis:156–41–592–5
Total:156–41–5
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

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The 1988 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1988 NCAA Division II football season. Led by Jim Sochor in his 19th and final season, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 7–3–1 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the NCAC for the 18th title consecutive season. 1988 was the team's 19th consecutive winning season. With the 5–0 conference record, the team stretched their conference winning streak to 41 games dating back to the 1981 season. The Aggies were ranked No. 13 in the final NCAA Division II poll. They advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Sacramento State in the first round. The team outscored its opponents 300 to 180 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

The 1987 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1987 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the NCAC title for the 17th consecutive season. 1986 was the team's 18th consecutive winning season. With the 5–0 conference record, the team stretched their conference winning streak to 36 games dating back to the 1981 season. The Aggies were ranked No. 10 in the final NCAA Division II poll. Unlike the previous five seasons, the Aggies did not qualify for the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs in 1987. The team outscored its opponents 238 to 163 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

The 1986 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1986 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 17th-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 10–1 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the NCAC for the 16th title consecutive season. 1986 was the team's 17th consecutive winning season. With the 5–0 conference record, the team stretched their conference winning streak to 31 games dating back to the 1981 season. The Aggies were ranked no lower than No. 4 in the NCAA Division II polls during the season. They advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs for the fifth straight year, where they lost to South Dakota in the quarterfinals. The team outscored its opponents 361 to 213 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

The 1983 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1983 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 11–1 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the NCAC title for the 13th consecutive season. 1983 was the team's 14th consecutive winning season. With the 6–0 conference record, the team stretched their conference winning streak to 15 games dating back to the 1981 season. The Aggies were ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II polls for the last three weeks of the regular season. They advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs for the second straight year, where they beat Butler in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual national champion North Dakota State in the semifinals. The team outscored its opponents 380 to 94 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

The 1982 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1982 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 12–1 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the NCAC title for the 12th consecutive season. 1982 was the team's 13th consecutive winning season. The Aggies advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Northern Michigan in the quarterfinals and North Dakota State in the semifinals before losing to Southwest Texas State in the Palm Bowl, the NCAA Division II title game. The team outscored its opponents 405 to 164 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

The 1977 UC Davis Aggies football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 11–1 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the FWC title for the seventh consecutive season. 1977 was the eighth consecutive winning season for the Aggies. With the 5–0 conference record, they stretched their conference winning streak to 23 games dating back to the 1973 season. UC Davis advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship for the first time, where they defeated Bethune–Cookman quarterfinals before losing to eventual national champion Lehigh in the semifinal Knute Rockne Bowl. UC Davis outscored its opponents 335 to 159 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

The 1971 UC Davis Aggies football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. Led by second-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 9–1 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, sharing the FWC title with Chico State. This started a remarkable run in which the Aggies won or shared the conference crown for 20 consecutive seasons. The team outscored its opponents 305 to 184 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

References

  1. "The Sacramento Bee". Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.