Ames 1994
Jim Duea was born in Des Moines to the family of Ben Duea who was coaching track at Valley High School in West Des Moines. Being a part of a coaching family, they moved to Fort Dodge where he attended school through his sophomore year and then moved to LaMesa, California where he graduated from Helix High School. There he was track captain and held the school record in the pole vault. He came back to Iowa to attend UNI graduating in 1960. While in college he was a sprinter and pole vaulter and at one time held the indoor pole vault record. His first coaching position was at Humboldt, Iowa as junior high football and assistant varsity boys track coach. In 1962 he started the cross country program as a voluntary coach and Humboldt became the first school in the North Central conference to have a cross country team. In 7 seasons as boys’ cross country coach his teams had: 28 wins in 33 dual/triangular meets; 1 major invitational win; 1 state mile team championship; 2 state mile team runner-up teams; and placed 3rd in the state meet in 1963. Jim also served as head boys track coach at Humboldt for 5 seasons during which his teams accomplished: 12 wins in 13 dual/triangular meets; 8 major invitational championships; 1 conference championship; 1 state indoor runner-up team; 1 state outdoor runner-up team. After 11 years at Humboldt he was encouraged by Hi Covey to apply for the assistant track coaching position at Ames. At Ames he served under John Sletten for 8 seasons as hurdle and pole vault coach, but in 1980, due to the necessity of bringing more equity to the girls track program, he became the girls head coach, a positions he has held for 15 years, as well as serving as sophomore football coach for 24 years. As head track coach, his girls’ teams have done very well: 18 wins in 20 dual/tri–quadrangular meets; 57 major invitational meet championships; 9 district meet championships; 12 conference meet championships (three-2nd place finishes); 3 state outdoor championships (’87, ’88, ’92); 1 state runner-up in 1994; four-3rd place finishes; 2 state indoor championships in ’89 and ’90. Ames has scored more points in the Iowa Girls State Meet than any other school. Most of these points being scored the past 15 years. Ames currently is undefeated in all meets except the state meet since the first outdoor invitational meet of 1987. Truly a sign of an excellent program. Jim says that this is an honor that is humbling when he realizes that so many athletes, parents, and fellow coaches have contributed so much to his life as a teacher and coach. His understanding family consists of his wife Joyce, son Jim, who has been the head boys’ track coach at Valley of West Des Moines ( the same position his grandfather held 50 years ago), and his daughter Joelle who is a teacher.