Jimmy Feix, a record-setting quarterback and coach who became one of the most beloved figures in the history of Western Kentucky University, died Sunday in Bowling Green after a lengthy illness. He was 83.

"Coach Feix was legendary in so many ways, and his influence transcended far beyond his role as WKU's head football coach," Western Kentucky University athletic director Todd Stewart said. "His 106 wins are the most in our football program's history, but no number can accurately measure the tremendous impact he had on everyone he touched.

"It is not often that one individual can have such a positive impact on so many, but Coach Feix certainly did and Hilltopper Nation is forever grateful."

A Henderson native, Feix is best known for spending 27 years as a member of the Hilltopper coaching staff, including 16 memorable seasons as Western Kentucky's highly successful head coach.

Under the direction of Feix between 1968-83, the Hilltoppers went 106-56-6 (.649), winning or sharing Ohio Valley Conference championships in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1978 and 1980. In both 1973 and 1975, WKU was NCAA Division II national runner-up.

His 1973 team was 12-0 before losing to Louisiana Tech in the national championship game.

Feix, who enjoyed a friendly but highly competitive rivalry with Eastern Kentucky coaching legend Roy Kidd, was named OVC Coach of the Year in 1973, 1978 and 1980. He was Kodak Division IV Region Coach of the Year in 1973 and 1975.

"We had some great, great teams, and I was fortunate to coach some outstanding athletes and young men," Feix once said. "What I tried to instill in them was that it meant something to play at Western Kentucky, that it meant something to win at Western Kentucky, that this was a university where excellence was expected, rather than hoped for.

"As a coach, I wanted my guys as prepared as they could possibly be for an opponent. And, what I expected from the players is the best effort they could possibly give. I figured, if we could put those two things together, more often than not we were going to have success, and I believe that proved to be true."

As a player, Feix became Western Kentucky's first All-American and led the program to its first bowl appearance in 1952, when the Hilltoppers finished 9-1, won the OVC championship, and defeated Arkansas State 34-19 in the Refrigerator Bowl in Evansville. For the year, Feix, a senior, passed for 1,925 yards and 20 touchdowns, and led the nation in completion percentage (61.2).

Feix was subsequently signed by the New York Giants, but a serious preseason injury in his rookie year short-circuited his professional playing career.

After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, Feix returned to "the Hill" and was a Western Kentucky assistant under head coach Nick Denes from 1957-67.

Feix's first game as head coach was the Hilltoppers' first game in L.T. Smith Stadium -- a 35-0 shutout of Butler on Sept. 21, 1968. In 1991, eight years after his retirement from coaching, the stadium's playing surface was christened, "Jimmy Feix Field."

Feix is one of only four Western Kentucky football players to have his jersey number (66) retired. The others are former Chicago Bears defensive back Virgil Livers (24), and former WKU star quarterback and head coach Willie Taggart (1).

He was a member of the inaugural class of the WKU Athletics Hall of Fame (1991), the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame (2004), the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Champions (2007). Feix was also inducted into the Henderson County Sports Hall of Fame (1988) and WKU's Hall of Distinguished Alumni (2003).

Feix, who also served as Western Kentucky's athletic director in the 1980s, was thrilled when WKU announced it was making the move from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FCS) less than a decade ago.

"I see it as a great, great thing," Feix said. "It's a tribute to the history of the football program, as well as the vision of the university. I have no doubt that in time the football program will win at the highest level, and that's because there's historically been a culture of winning here."

It was an opinion derived from personal experience..

"The people of Bowling Green and Western Kentucky University expect you to win here. Believe me," Feix said, chuckling and wide-eyed. "I know.

"Now, we're headed for the big time, and I'm all for it -- onward and upward."

Jim Pickens, (270) 691-7314,

jpickens@messenger-inquirer.com

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