Athletic Hall of Fame
Jim Platt, ’73, graduated Concordia with a B.A. in education. He was a four-year letterman in basketball and baseball, serving as team captain in both sports during his senior year. Platt’s basketball prowess as a point guard resulted in setting assist records for a single season (193) and career (443).
Upon graduation, Platt taught physical education and coached boys’ varsity basketball at Luther High School North in Chicago. In 1978, he began his collegiate coaching profession as an assistant at Illinois State University. Platt moved on to DePaul University in 1984 where he joined Joey Meyer’s staff. His six seasons at DePaul included five NCAA Tournament appearances, and he was named as one of the 20 top assistant coaches in college basketball in 1989.
In 1990, Platt earned his first head coach’s position at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His four-year tenure there included a 1991-92 team that went 18-12 and reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Following assistant coaching stints at the University of Tulsa and Florida State University, Platt assumed the head position at Charleston Southern University in 2000. He was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2001, and he led his 2002-03 team to a second place finish.
Platt has served as a church and community speaker and has led many clinics, camps, and youth reading programs with athletes. He has been an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
