Jim Wharton-2015
Crestview High School
2015 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Jim Wharton – Convoy Crestview High School
Jim Wharton is a 1979 graduate of Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he played football and baseball for the Panthers. He then attended Manchester University continuing his athletic career playing both baseball and football for the Spartans. Jim graduated from Manchester University in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in Health/Physical Education and Psychology.
During his student teaching assignment at Northrop High School in Ft. Wayne, he was the benefactor of coaching under Indiana Hall of Fame coach Chris Stavreti while working with a freshman catcher by the name of Eric Wedge (former Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners manager). This 1983 team won the Indiana State Baseball Championship. Jim crossed the state line in 1984 being blessed by the hiring of Crestview High School as a Health/Physical Education teacher along with Head Baseball and Football responsibilities. With the 2015 season, Jim begins his 32nd year of teaching and coaching at Crestview. As the head baseball coach for 31 years, the Knights have compiled a record of 516-241; a remarkable winning percentage of .682. This includes 17 Northwest Conference titles, 22 Sectional championships, 8 District championships, 3 Regional championships, and 3 State Final Four appearances (1993, 2013, and 2014). In 2014 Jim was honored by the OHSBCA with his selection as Coach of The Year in Division IV. The Knights have placed 147 All Conference players in the N.W.C, 74 being named First Team, 18 Academic All State, 4 Mizuno Senior All-Star players, and 17 earning All State recognition. He has had 21 players go on to play college baseball, with one being drafted and signing professionally. Amazingly, 9 former players are currently coaching high school or college baseball. Coach Wharton is extremely blessed and fortunate to be a part of a staff and community that has been so supportive of all Crestview activities with a desire to maintain excellence. The success the Crestview baseball program has attained over the past 31 years is attributed to Coach Wharton’s longtime dedicated and loyal assistant coaches and exceptionally fine young men, who have given so much to perpetuate the Knight Baseball mission.
Coach Wharton’s greatest accomplishment has been his family where he has been married to his wife, Cami, for 30 years. Cami is employed by Blackhawk Ministries as a receptionist. They have 4 wonderful children: Becca, married to Kyle Smith (Stony Brook University Football Coach), is a Purdue University graduate and is the Head Clinical Dietitian at Sayville Nursing and Rehab in Sayville, New York who was a 2008 OHSBCA Hank Miller Memorial scholarship recipient; Riley is a graduate of Indiana University and works for Federated Media as a Marketing Consultant in Fort Wayne; Jenna is currently a senior at IPFW majoring in Elementary Education; and Michael is a senior at Blackhawk Christian High School in Fort Wayne.