Dr. Jim Christensen

Jim Christensen

Jim Christensen made a name for himself as a basketball player at Tempe High School before attending Idaho State University where he was the most valuable player on the Freshman team. Following a LDS mission, he was recruited by his older brother Lot to come to Mesa Community College.

Lot was Mesa's first basketball coach, a position he held for just two years before taking over as tennis coach. When Jim came on board, the outlook wasn't that great since the team's two top scorers had departed along with three other starters who left for Church missions.

After an opening road swing through Northern Utah, the HoKams had a 1-2 record and were due to face an Arizona State freshman team that had looked almost unbeatable in defeating the ASU Varsity and defending League champions Phoenix College. Mesa pulled off a huge 76-74 upset, with Jim leading the way with 18 points in what he calls "one of the real coups of junior college athletics, and I was proud to be part of it."

Jim went on to set numerous scoring records, including a single game record at the time of 44 points. He served a semester as Study Body President, was named Outstanding Male Graduate, and was elected Most Eligible Bachelor. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho, his Master's from Arizona State, and Doctorate in education from Northern Arizona.

He has been a coach and administrator in the Mesa and Tempe School Systems, including 10 years as Athletic Director at Corona del Sol High School. For the past five years, he has been Superintendent of the Bagdad and Sacaton School Districts.