Jim Coshow, Husky Rebounding Great, Dies at 89
Jim Coshow, one of the more determined rebounders in University of Washington basketball annals, passed away on Monday morning at his home in Edmonds, Washington. He was 89.
In recent months, Coshow had been in failing health, requiring hospice care.
Although he was a 6-foot-6 forward and played next to a taller and much beefier Husky center in Bruno Boin, Coshow was a regular presence on the boards during his time at the UW in 1953-56.
As a senior, he provided 12 points and 11 rebounds per game — which makes him one of just 10 Huskies to finish with a double-digit rebound average over 75 seasons.
Two days after Christmas that season, Coshow had the game of his career, with rebounding playing a large part in his performance.
With a sellout crowd of 10,200 watching every carom, Coshow finished with 24 points and 22 rebounds, both career bests, in a 76-71 upset of then sixth-ranked Iowa at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
His 22 rebounds still rank him tied for fourth with three others in UW basketball history, with his backboard total surpassed only by Ed Corell's 30 in 1962, Steve Hawes' 28 in 1972 and Dean Parsons' 26 in 1955.
Bob Houbregs, Noah Dickerson and Hawes also had 22-rebound outings.
Coshow actually had a very good 24-hour stretch back then, following up the Iowa game with a 15-point, 11-rebound showing in a 54-53 upset of Wisconsin, another Big Ten contender, in a Hec Ed game decided on a buzzer shot by teammate Doyle Perkins.
Since 1950, Coshow and just nine other Huskies have finished with a double-digit rebound average, with Jon Brockman the last to do it in 2009, providing 11.5 per outing.
Those who have averaged double-digit rebounds for the Huskies since World War II are James Edwards, Todd MacCulloch, Doug Smart, Dean McClary, Houbregs, Hawes, Corell, Parsons, Brockman and Coshow. Hawes did it three times.
Coshow came to the UW from nearby Roosevelt High School along with Roughriders teammates Jerry Johnson, Mike Monroe and Perkins. The four of them actually started one Husky game together and it likely would have been more had Monroe, who also was a football player, not broken his arm and walked away from the sport.
After graduating from the UW, Coshow played for the AAU Buchan Bakers in 1956 and an Air Force All-Star team in 1957.
He began working in the family business, Dunn Lumber, and rose to vice president. He was a member of Seattle Golf Club.
For the Northwest Basketball Legends group, Coshow was a past president and served as a board member until his death.
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