James Ebenezzar "Possum Jim" Pixlee (March 29, 1889 – February 17, 1967) was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Missouri Wesleyan College from 1914 to 1916, Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College—now known as Oklahoma State University–Stillwater— frin 1919 to 1920, Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri from 1922 to 1928, and George Washington University from 1929 to 1937. Pixlee was also the head basketball coach at Oklahoma A&M (1919–1921), Westminster (1922–1929), and George Washington (1930–1932).

Jim Pixlee
Pixlee pictured in The Redskin 1920, Oklahoma A&M yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1889-03-29)March 29, 1889
Missouri, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 1967(1967-02-17) (aged 77)
Cameron, Missouri, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1909Missouri
1911–1912Missouri
Position(s)End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1914–1916Missouri Wesleyan
1919–1920Oklahoma A&M
1922–1928Westminster (MO)
1929–1937George Washington
Basketball
1919–1921Oklahoma A&M
1922–1929Westminster (MO)
1930–1932George Washington
1934–1935George Washington
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1914–1917Missouri Wesleyan
1929–1938George Washington
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 MIAA (1914)
2 MCAU (1924, 1926)

Pixlee attended the University of Missouri, where he lettered in football during the 1909, 1911, and 1912 seasons. He was head coach of the Oklahoma A&M Aggies for the 1919 and 1920 football seasons. During this period, the team won three of their 16 games.[1] By 1929 Pixlee was director of athletics at Missouri's Westminster College.[2]

In 1929, Pixlee took over the head coaching position of the George Washington Colonials, starting with an 0–8 season. He went on to win more football games than any other coach in George Washington's history, leading the Colonials to records crowds and coaching Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans, whom David Holt described as "perhaps GW's greatest athlete ever".[3] Pixlee left that position in 1937.

Pixlee was married to Blossom Pixlee. He died on February 17, 1967, at his home in Cameron, Missouri.[4]

Head coaching record

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Football

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Missouri Wesleyan Owls (Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1914–1916)
1914 Missouri Wesleyan 6–2
1915 Missouri Wesleyan 2–1–1 4th
1916 Missouri Wesleyan 2–3 5th
Missouri Wesleyan:
Oklahoma A&M Aggies (Southwest Conference) (1919–1920)
1919 Oklahoma A&M 3–3–2 0–2 8th
1920 Oklahoma A&M 0–7–1 0–4 T–7th
Oklahoma A&M: 3–10–3 0–6
Westminster Blue Jays (Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1922–1923)
1922 Westminster 0–5–2
1923 Westminster 3–5
Westminster Blue Jays (Missouri College Athletic Union) (1924–1928)
1924 Westminster 9–0 7–0 1st
1925 Westminster 5–2 5–2 4th
1926 Westminster 7–1 7–0 1st
1927 Westminster 2–4–1 2–1 4th
1928 Westminster 6–2–1 3–1–1 3rd
Westminster: 32–19–4
George Washington Colonials (Independent) (1929–1937)
1929 George Washington 0–8
1930 George Washington 4–4–1
1931 George Washington 5–2–1
1932 George Washington 6–2–1
1933 George Washington 5–3–1
1934 George Washington 6–3–1
1935 George Washington 6–3
1936 George Washington 7–1–1
1937 George Washington 3–4–1
George Washington: 42–30–7
Total:
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

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  1. ^ "James e Pixlee Coaching Record - databaseFootball.com/College". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  2. ^ ""Possum" Pixlee's Plan". The Harvard Crimson. Cambridge, Massachusetts. January 10, 1929. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "When we played football: The GW boys of fall, 1890-1966 - Sports". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  4. ^ "Long Career As Coach". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. February 19, 1967. p. 26A. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
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