Former Panther standout, Jim Staff, dies at 93

Published: March 10, 2023

A three-sport standout athlete at Greenville College in the late 1940s and early 1950s died at the age of 93 on Jan. 31, 2023.

Jim Staff, a lifelong resident of Vandalia, participated in baseball, basketball, and track during college. He went on to play professional baseball in the St. Louis Cardinal organization before pursuing a career in education. 

“Jim is generally recognized as the first great Greenville College athlete,” said B.J. Schneck, GU Sports Information Director. “In baseball, basketball, and track, he set standards of performance, leadership, and conduct which were tremendously important to the growth and development of the young program of intercollegiate athletics here. Off the playing field, he was equally successful as a scholar and campus leader.”

After graduating from Greenville College in 1952, Staff went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1953 and an advanced degree in public school administration from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He taught and coached junior high students in Vandalia until he was elected Fayette County Superintendent of Schools in 1958. He was subsequently elected Regional Superintendent of Schools for a multi-county area surrounding Fayette County and held that position until he retired.

Though his educational career spanned 35 years, Staff spent a lifetime serving in community and civic organizations in Vandalia. In addition to his passion for athletics, Staff was an accomplished musician, a piano tuner, an antique car collector, and an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Vandalia. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joyce (an elementary school teacher), and their son and two daughters.

“He was a pioneer Panther athlete who became a role model for generations to follow,” Schneck concluded. Staff was included in the first class of athletes inducted into the GC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.