Jim McKee was a star in three different sports at Groveport-Madison High School between 1962 and 1965, excelling in baseball (pitcher), basketball (center) and football (quarterback) for the Cruisers. He was named to the All Mid-8 League team in baseball twice, basketball three times and football once, spearheading his teams to league championships in the latter two.
The 6-foot-7 McKee brought his talents to Otterbein in the fall of 1966 and played two sports (basketball/baseball) after deciding to retire from football. But he kept his right arm productive on the mound in becoming one of the best pitchers across school history… The hard-throwing ace led the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in victories with a 7-1 record during the 1968 campaign, when Otterbein finished runner-up in the standings to Wittenberg. He came back with a vengeance as a senior in 1969, earning first team All-OAC honors after topping the league and setting a new Otterbein single-season record with 126 strikeouts. McKee also graduated (and remains to this day) as Otterbein’s all-time leader at 321 K’s, ranking fifth in the OAC record books and 25 more than fellow Hall of Famer Dan Remenowsky in second.
A gifted athlete, he also made his mark on the basketball court while overlapping careers with standouts Don Carlos and Tim Pond. The Cardinals had three winning seasons during his run, including a 19-6 record over that first winter on the hardwood.
In 1969, Jim was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He played Single A in the Carolina League, Double A in Connecticut and then Triple A in West Virginia before ultimately spending two seasons (1972 and 1973) in the big leagues. McKee made two appearances during the 1972 campaign, when Pittsburgh won the NL East with a 96-59 record before eventually falling (3-2) in the National League Championship Series to the Cincinnati Reds. He then saw his most work for the Pirates the following year in 1973, making 15 appearances primarily as a middle reliever.
McKee worked on his skillset year-round by playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Venezuela. He was teammates with Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell while facing many greats such as Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, etc.
After his playing career, Jim returned home to teach Health and Physical Education in the Groveport-Madison School District. He coached Varsity Track and Girls Basketball, impacting hundreds of students in the process. McKee also volunteered his time to help other local student-athletes by training them to get the most out of their abilities. He loved to coach/teach and established many relationships along the way. Jim tragically died in a 2002 car accident at the age of 55, but left a notable legacy (both as an athlete and person) that will live on forever.