Jim Calaway

A Greentown legend, Jim Calaway put Eastern High School’s football program on the map, coaching the Comets to a then‑state record 37 straight wins from 1961–65, including three straight undefeated 9–0 seasons from 1962–64. In six seasons as coach from 1960–65, he compiled a 48–6 record (.889) and laid the groundwork for Eastern’s future success as the Comets went 64–17–3 over the next nine years. Lured back to his alma mater, he led the University of Arkansas at Monticello from 1966–69 to two straight bowl games, a 20–17–2 record, and three AIC titles (outright in his first two seasons, shared in his third). He returned to Howard County to launch Tri-Central’s program as its first head coach from 1970–73, going 4–0 on a JV slate in 1970 and 5–1 in its first varsity season in 1971, the school’s only winning season until 1990. Calaway was named to the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Kokomo Tribune named him one of the top athletes of the century on January 1, 2000, for his coaching success. He passed away in 2001; he and his wife, Nell, were married 54 years and had four children: Jim Calaway (Susan), Cindy Wellenberger (Paul), John Calaway (Jo), and Greg Calaway (Edie).