Northern Kentucky will say goodbye this week to one of our great ones, James “Jimmy” Boothe who leaves us with the fondest of memories as a college and high school great and educational leader in his remarkable 91 years.
The 1953 Dayton High alum and all-state basketball standout for the Greendevils went on to a career as a Xavier University basketball Hall of Famer and “Small” All-American as a 5-foot-7 guard who could score the ball against anybody back in the mid-1950s. With a two-hand set shot in his offensive repertoire, Boothe joined Xavier’s 1000-Point Club (with 1,085 points) while leading the Musketeers to a pair of National Invitation Tournament appearances when that tournament was pretty much the equal of the NCAA.
He averaged 16.5 points a game in that lower-scoring era as a junior earning a rep for his smart play as “a coach on the court” as the little guy running the show while being named MVP that season for Xavier as well as achieving All-NIT honors and MVP of the Queen City Invitational. His 462 points that season set the Xavier junior scoring record.
But his basketball honors were just the start for Boothe, who went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in education as he moved on to leadership roles as a school superintendent and college professor at his alma mater, Xavier, influencing generations of students.
Boothe and his wife of 69 years, the former Marilyn Braun, were Dayton High sweethearts with three children, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There will be a memorial visitation Thursday evening for Boothe from 5-7 p.m. at Mihovk-Rosenacker Funeral Home, 10211 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati, with Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m., Friday, at St. Michael Catholic Church, 11144 Spinner Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241. Following Mass, friends and family are invited to Mad Tree Parks & Rec. located at Summit Park; 4321 Glendale Milford Rd., from 11am until 2pm.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the James Boothe Endowed Scholarship.
Home sweet home-at-last for the Saints
It was hard to have a good feeling about the 2026 Thomas More Saints after a quick look at their schedule that opened with four straight games on the road – for the second straight season. Last year produced a 1-10 record after opening with four straight road losses although that losing streak extended to 10 straight before a final game win at Kentucky Wesleyan.
This year was going in the same direction as TMU opened 0-4 after losses at Wheeling, Dayton, Tiffin and Hillsdale. Not wipeouts exactly but mostly in the range of three touchdowns.
But a return home for a game at TMU’s Republic Bank Field produced a 24-21 win over Walsh College before a 34-24 loss at Ohio Dominican last Saturday. It’s the second straight season when, while many college teams open at home in August, Thomas More hasn’t had a home game until October.
For a sport that historically has set the tone for the college year on campus in the early fall, that seems way too late. No way Republic Field should have hosted more Holy Cross High School games (three) than TMU games on the school’s Crestview Hills field by now.
One bright spot for the Saints is the play of quarterback Ben Chesser, who is responsible for 1,177 yards of total offense on 96 of 172 passing for 898 yards and another 279 on the ground on 72 carries. In last week’s 34-24 loss at Ohio Dominican, Chesser, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore from Northfield, Ohio, racked up 323 total yards on 16 of 30 passing for 192 yards with another 131 on the ground on 17 carries producing three TDs – two passing, one rushing.
The good news for the Saints is that starting with Saturday’s noon kickoff against Ashland in a Great Midwest Conference game, four of the final five games are at home.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X @dweber3440.