University of Tennessee Athletics
Former Hoops All-American Jimmy England Passes Away
June 16, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Former Tennessee basketball All-American Jimmy England passed away early Thursday in Cumming, Georgia.
A 6-1 guard from Knoxville, Tennessee (a graduate of Holston High School), England lettered for the Volunteers from 1968-71 and was a two-time first-team All-SEC performer. After averaging 20.6 points per game as a senior, he was honored as a first-team 1971 Helms Athletic Foundation All-American.
Known by the nickname "Mr. Clutch," he finished his Big Orange career ranked third on UT's all-time scoring list with 1,407 career points. He was Tennessee's top scorer, free-throw shooter and assists man as both a junior and senior.
After making the SEC All-Sophomore Team in 1968-69, England led the entire SEC in free-throw percentage in 1969-70 (.897) and assists in 1970-71 (5.4 apg). He served as a team captain as a senior in 1970-71 and helped lead the Vols to a 21-7 record and a second-place SEC finish.
The Chicago Bulls selected England in the sixth round of the 1971 NBA Draft. He later served as a student assistant coach on Ray Mears' staff during the 1971-72 season, during which the Vols posted a 19-6 (14-4 SEC) record and captured an SEC Championship.
England was honored as Tennessee's SEC Legend at the 2011 SEC Tournament in Atlanta. And in 2015, he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
