James Colgan

I am extremely saddened to have to relay notification of the passing of Jim Colgan – a Judo Great. Jim was well known throughout the U.S. and indeed most of the world. He had major accomplishments as a competitor, coach, manager, referee and administrator. But most of all, he was a great guy. To many heavyweights of his time, he was known as the person who kept them off of the awards stand. As a member and coach of the Uptown Dojo in Chicago, Jim passed his knowledge onto such outstanding Judoka as Irwin and Steve Cohen, Bobby Berland and many others. He also was the manager for many U.S. Judo Teams around the world, including the Olympics and World Championships. Jim also provided service and leadership in refereeing as an on-mat referee (up to IJF-B), jury member for many years and mentor for many other referees. For his overall accomplishments, he was awarded an honorary IJF-A in 2011. He served in many capacities at the national level, including Chairman of the Promotion Board.

He will be greatly missed, but his memory will continue to provide guidance through the many examples he gave us.