The Hillsdale College athletic department is saddened by the passing of Chargers legend and Hall of Famer Jim Larkin earlier in November. As a player, coach, and great friend of Hillsdale College athletics, Larkin leaves behind a legacy of excellence that few can match.
Born in 1939 in Clarkston, Michigan, Larkin came to Hillsdale College after graduating from Waterford Township High School in Michigan in 1957. Recruited by legendary coach Frank "Muddy" Waters, Larkin was one of the best players on some of the best football teams the Chargers have ever fielded, earning All-American honors in 1959 and 1960 as a starting offensive lineman for Hillsdale. During Larkin's time with the team, Hillsdale won four consecutive MIAA Championships, played in the NAIA Playoffs twice, and finished runner-up in the nation in a nationally televised game in 1957 against Pittsburg State. Larkin was a starter from 1958 to 1960 and a first-team All-MIAA offensive lineman all three of those years.
After graduating from Hillsdale in 1961, Larkin was drafted in the sixth round by the Denver Broncos of the AFL in 1961, but with injuries affecting his ability to continue playing at a high level, he chose instead to return home to Waterford Township and begin his teaching and coaching career at Waterford Kettering High School in the fall of that year. Larkin would coach the Captains for 11 years, taking the brand new high school to four consecutive winning seasons from 1963 to 1966, and seven winning campaigns overall. His 1964 team which went 8-1 and won the Tri-County league title set a school record mark for wins in a single season that still stands to this day.
In 1972, Larkin returned to Hillsdale College to work as an Offensive Line coach under Muddy Waters, and when Waters took the Saginaw Valley State head coaching job at the conclusion of the 1973 season, Larkin followed him north, coaching under Waters for the next six seasons and helping the Cardinals to a 1979 G-MAC title. When Waters left to take over as head coach at Michigan State, Larkin stepped in as head coach of Saginaw Valley for the next three seasons.
In 1986, Larkin retired from college coaching and returned to Waterford Kettering, to finish out his career as a teacher and coach. In 1999, he was elected to the Waterford Township School Board, a position he served in for eight years, and in 2006, he was inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame, joining "Muddy" Waters, his college coach. In recognition of everything he had done for the Waterford Kettering football program throughout his life, the school named the football field in his honor in 2012.
A beloved educator and mentor, Larkin's football players held a special place in his heart to the very end of his life, and he especially treasured his time at Hillsdale College and the time spent playing for and coaching under "Muddy" Waters. He will be deeply missed by family, friends, coaches and players, but the relationships he built over a lifetime will endure into the future.
A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2024 from 1-4 PM at The Fountains Golf & Banquet, 6060 Maybee Rd, Clarkston, MI. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Jim's beloved football program, Waterford Kettering High School Athletic Dept, 2800 Kettering Drive, Waterford, Michigan 48329, and write Football in the memo line.
You can read the full obituary and find more information here: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/29855156/james-larkin