NSA Hall of Fame: Jim Kimmel (2005)
CATEGORY: Director
YEAR INDUCTED: 2005
AWARDS WON:
- 1994 Newcomer of the Year
- 2000 Presidential Award of Excellence
- 2004 Presidential Award of Excellence
- 2009 State Director of the Year
- 2010 110% Award
- 2011 State Director of the Year
- 2012 State Director of the Year
- 2014 110% Award
- 2016 110% Award
- 2018 John Lynch – Slowpitch Outstanding Achievement Award
Jim Kimmel began his career in NSA as an area director under the guidance of State Director Tim Fishburn in 1992. Jim was appointed Northern Indiana State Director in 1994. In 1996, Jim was elected to be a member of the NSA Hall of Fame Committee. Jim was elected as secretary of the NSA Hall of Fame Committee in 1999 and was still holding that position at the time of his induction into the NSA Hall of Fame.
Jim introduced and used the optic yellow softball for the first time in NSA slowpitch at the 1998 Major/AA/A NIT in South Bend, Indiana. That experiment was the beginning of NSA implementing the optic yellow softball for all NSA Major/AA/A NIT’s. Shortly thereafter, the NSA adopted the optic yellow softball for all slowpitch divisions.
Jim may be the only NSA Director to be the Tournament Director in every men’s classification. He has directed the Major, AA, A, B, C, D and E divisions as well as the Co-Ed division at the world series level. Since 1995, Jim has been the Tournament Director for at least one world series every year.
In 2000, Jim was appointed NSA Assistant National Director for the Men’s Major/AA/A program and Jim basically ran those divisions for the NSA. This appointment led Jim to Canada to be Tournament Director for the PIF tournament. This tournament for the first time in NSA history used NSA umpires outside the continental US. Approximately 35,000 spectators go through the turnstiles at the PIF for the 5 – day event.
Jim has been the Tournament Director for over 25 State Championships, over 10 Regional Championships, 25 World Series and 1 Super World Series.
Jim Kimmel’s awards for the NSA are impressive. In 1994 he was awarded the NSA Newcomer of the year. In 1994 and 1996 his state won the State Registration Award and in 2000 Jim was awarded the NSA Presidential Award of Excellence for the first time and he would go on to win it again in 2004. It is NSA’s highest honor.
In November 2005, Jim became the 13th Director to be inducted into the NSA Hall of Fame.