Jimmy Young: The Marksman

January 10, 2025

#12 | 6'0" Guard | Clarksville, Tenn.

Career Accolades & Hall of Fame Inductions

Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame: Class of 1991
2x All-OVC Selection: 1970, 1971
All-Tennessee High School Selection: 1967

The Western Mistake

Jimmy Young was a bona fide prep star for Montgomery Central High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. Playing under the watchful eye of his father, head coach Jimmy Young Sr., the dynamic guard averaged a blistering 35 points per game during his senior season, earning All-Tennessee honors in 1967. Because both of his parents were alumni of Western Kentucky University—and his father had actually played alongside legendary Hilltopper coach John Oldham—Young naturally dreamed of heading to Bowling Green.

WKU ultimately passed on the local sharpshooter, a decision Coach Oldham later openly regretted. "His daddy told me Jimmy could play, and I have a lot of respect for his judgment," Oldham recounted to reporters. "But the night we saw him play in high school, he didn't look good at all. However," the Western coach added, "I'm willing to admit we made a mistake."

Where Western Kentucky hesitated, Murray State head coach Cal Luther pounced. "We were crazy about Jimmy right off," Luther said, "and he knew we wanted him." Following a standout visit to Murray, the "Breds" won the recruiting battle, and Young officially traded a potential future in red for the blue and gold.

The Competitor

Young began his Racer career dominating the freshman circuit, averaging 21.6 points per game to lead the "Baby Racers" to a 10–7 record. By the 1968–69 season, he joined the varsity starting lineup alongside fellow program icons Claude Virden and Hector Blondet. Together, the trio shocked the region, capturing the 1969 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship and securing a coveted berth in the NCAA Tournament.

By his junior year, Young had earned a reputation as one of the most ruthless competitors in mid-major basketball. His fiery on-court demeanor stood in stark contrast to his quiet off-court personality. "Soft-spoken and nice, until they turn out the lights for the Anthem. Then he changes," Coach Luther famously observed. "There are games in which he refuses to let us lose." His relentless competitive edge earned him consecutive All-OVC and Louisville Courier-Journal honors in 1970 and 1971.

The Long-Range Legend

During his senior campaign in 1970–71, Young became known nationally as a long-range marksman. Because opposing defenses game-planned entirely around keeping him out of the paint, Young simply weaponized his deep range, routinely launching and burying shots from well beyond the perimeter while still maintaining a remarkable 47.7% career field goal percentage.

"I'm not bragging, but I have confidence in my shooting. I just feel like everything I throw up there is going to go in," Young told the Courier-Journal in 1971. He fondly recalled a specific dagger against his parents' alma mater: "That long one I hit against Western... I was so far out Jerry Dunn didn't think I was gonna shoot, so he dropped off on me. I said to myself, 'Heck, I'm gonna bang away at it.' I sort of surprised myself. After the shot, I realized how far out I was and said to myself, 'Good thing that one went in.'"

Racer assistant coach Bennie Purcell later marveled at Young's uncanny depth, stating: "If we had the three-point shot in those days, I know he would have averaged 30 to 35 points a game. He was the best long-range, pure shooter that's ever been here. He was a very hard-nosed player and aggressive. He gave 100 percent every game."

Young concluded his legendary Murray State career in 1971 firmly entrenched in the program history books. He left campus ranking 7th all-time in scoring with 1,128 career points, while setting a school record with an elite 84.6% career free-throw percentage. He was officially inducted into the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.

A 500-Win Coaching Legacy

Upon graduating from Murray State, Young returned home to Clarksville to cement a legendary coaching legacy of his own. In 1983, he stepped into his father's old shoes, taking over as the head boys' basketball coach at Montgomery Central High School. Young spent the next 36 years pacing the very same sidelines, instilling the exact same gritty, hard-nosed attitude he displayed as a player for the Racers.

Young officially retired from the coaching sidelines in February 2019, concluding a historic career that yielded over 500 career victories. Reflecting on his philosophy late in his tenure, Young remarked: "I still have passion for the game and I love doing what I do... all my assistant coaches played for me and they're all winners and hate losing like I do. That's what we're trying to instill into our kids; you've got to be a good loser, but you've got to hate losing."

The Young family tradition remains vibrantly alive at Montgomery Central. In 2024, Jimmy's son, Sam Young, took over as the head boys' basketball coach, continuing a remarkable three-generation coaching dynasty founded on the hardwood courts of Clarksville.