Jim became the New England AAU Open 60-yard dash champion running a quick 6.6 seconds at the Fargo Building in Boston. For placing 1st at that meet, he was awarded the Ed Sanders Memorial Trophy. At the State Meet Jim’s senior year he won and tied the state record in the 300-yard run with a time of 33.0 seconds. In March of his senior year he led his Somerville High track squad to a team championship at the Bowdoin Interscholastic Track Meet. Jim won three events, in the 50-yard dash, the 300-yard dash and the broad jump. At the National Track and Field Championships held in Madison Square Garden, he would finish 5th in the nation. By the time Jim graduated, he had become one of Somerville’s most decorated athletes. His accomplishments included the Boston Athletic Associations 50-yard title, the indoor All-State 50-yard champ, the outdoor state champ in the 100-yard dash, the indoor New England champ in the 40-yard dash, a 3x Champion New England 100 yard champ, the New England and AAU 60-yard champion the Greater Boston 100 and 220 yard dash Champion. At Villanova University his main events were the 220 and 440. In one particular 4x220 relay it was said by a local newspaper that “Excellent baton passing and blistering 220's by Blackburn and Collymore were the features”. The highlight of that 1959 season came when Jim Blackburn along with Joe Manion, Charlie Stead, and Ed Collymore were crowned the Penn Relays Mile Relay Champions, running a blistering 3:11.80, which is still the Villanova school record. Not bad for a kid from Philly, two kids from Boston and the quiet kid from Somerville Mass.
Class: 1956 Inducted: 2019