Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1984
- Class:
- 1941
While star ball carriers like Boot Elkins and Jackie Hunt were getting the glory as Marshall had some of the most prolific offensive football teams of the day, they were doing so through the holes opened up by, among others, Jim Pearcy. A native of Harrisville, W.Va., and product of Clarksburg Victory High School, Pearcy was a starting guard and linebacker in all three years he played for the Marshall varsity, helping the team to a combined 24-5 record between 1939 and 1941.
After suiting up for the junior varsity squad in 1938, Pearcy helped the 1939 team tie the school record for victories as it went 9-2 on the year, and halfback Elkins finished fifth in the nation in scoring, and then the following year Hunt received All-America honors as Pearcy helped pave the way for a team that went 8-2 and led the nation in scoring as it averaged 33.4 points per game. Pearcy, then a team captain, helped Hunt to All-America honors again the following year as Marshall registered a 7-1 mark.
Pearcy was then set to join the Detroit Lions in the NFL but instead entered the U.S. Marine Corps to serve during World War II. There he received a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and a Purple Heart as he rose to the rank of major, fighting in battles to take over the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. After the war, Pearcy was able to resume a professional football career as a guard for four seasons with the Chicago Rockets and Chicago Hornets of the All-American Football League from 1946-49. When the AAFC folded and players were absorbed into the NFL, Pearcy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but chose to retire rather than report to the new team. Pearcy was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.
