Jim Welling, the winningest coach in the history of the Owens Community College men’s basketball program, will be inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in March.
In his career from 1986-2006, Welling compiled a 550-127 record and led the Express to NJCAA Division II national championships in 1992 and 1993. Welling’s teams had an overall winning percentage of .812.
He will be inducted into the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Hutchinson, Kan., at the national championship tournament March 18-23.
Welling also led Owens to a second-place finish at the tournament in the 1993-94 season, a third-place finish in 1995-96, and a pair of fifth-place finishes in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
The Northwood native then guided the Central Catholic boys team to a 110-31 overall record in six seasons (2008-14).
During his time at Owens, 86 percent of his student-athletes graduated and 76 student-athletes moved on to NCAA Division I schools. He won at least 20 games in 19 of his 20 seasons.
Welling coached six athletes who were named Ohio Community College Athletic Conference player of the year. He also was named the NJCAA D-II coach of the year twice, the OCCAC coach of the year eight times, and the Region XII coach of the year seven times.
Welling got back into coaching at the high school level in 2007-08, spending one season at Lake (4-17) before being hired at Central Catholic. He led the Irish to two City League championships and a trip to the Division I state semifinal round in 2011.
Under Welling, Central Catholic made its first appearance in a City League championship game in 14 years in 2008-09. The Irish then won their first City League title in 42 years in 2009-10.
In 2010-11, the Irish reached the state final four for the first time since 1949. They were edged 48-46 in the semifinal round by eventual state champion Cincinnati LaSalle.
In his final season, Welling guided the team to a 20-4 record and a first-place finish at 13-1 in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference.
Welling received an associate’s degree from Owens before graduating from the University of Toledo.
He also was a member of the Owens Technical College Trojans men’s basketball team under coach Dick Honner from 1977-79. He then was an assistant at Owens from 1984-86 before taking charge of the program.
Each year the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association selects three to five coaches, players, or contributors to its hall of fame.
First Published February 8, 2019, 12:22 a.m.
