Reese to be Inducted into Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame

Former ACU record-setting quarterback and coach, and current ACU Sports Network broadcaster Jim Reese is part of the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame's class of 2026 and will be inducted on April 20.

Reese ('77) played baseball for the Wildcats, but is most known for quarterbacking the football team during a terrific run of success from 1973-76. ACU had a 23-8-1 record when Reese was in the starting lineup, and his 564 yards against Angelo State in 1976 still remains the school's single-game record nearly 50 years later.

Reese was a freshman on the 1973 NAIA Division I national championship team, and spent the next three years as the Wildcats' starter. He led the Lone Star Conference in passing as a junior and senior (1975 and 1976), and threw for 5,946 yards and 37 touchdowns in his career. 

He was named an honorable mention All-American as a senior, and was inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Following his playing career, Reese became a successful high school football, baseball and softball coach with stops at his alma mater of Abilene High, along with Abilene Cooper, Carrollton R.L. Turner and Pflugerville. He was the AHS head baseball coach from 1995-99, winning two District 4-5A championships and reaching the playoffs three times.

Mixed in the middle was a five-year run as ACU's offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2000-04 where he coached two all-conference quarterbacks in Aaron Birdwell and Colby Freeman.

Since 2017, Reese has served as a color commentator for ACU football radio and ESPN+ broadcasts, providing insight and pulling wisdom from his own playing and coaching experiences.

The Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame's 25th annual banquet is set for April 20, 2026, at the Abilene Convention Center. Individual tickets are $80 each and tables of 10 can be purchased for $1,000, which includes admission to the VIP reception.

To order tickets, go online to bigcountryhalloffame.org or call the museum at (325) 704-1759. The Hall of Fame will again award twelve $1,500 college scholarships to graduating senior athletes from the Big Country. The Hall of Fame has awarded over $170,000 in college scholarships.