Submitted photo: Jimmie Crooks of Fort Dodge poses with his daughter, Audi, and Michelle (Vitzthum) Cook after Bishop Garrigan qualified for the girls state basketball tournament in 2020.

Jimmie Crooks, a standout player for one of Fort Dodge Senior High’s best basketball teams ever, passed away on Saturday. He was 54.

In recent years, the long-time Fort Dodge resident had gained notoriety for being the father of Bishop Garrigan superstar Audi Crooks, a junior-to-be who is being recruited by elite programs from across the country.

That tends to overshadow the career Jimmy himself had on the hardwood, though.

During the 1984-85 Dodger campaign, Jimmie — a skilled 6-foot-8 post player — averaged 14.5 points in garnering unanimous first team all-Big 8 honors. Head coach Gary Reiners, in his first season at the helm, guided Fort Dodge to a 20-3 overall record and third-place finish at state.

At the time, it was the best campaign in school history — only to be eclipsed three years later by the 1988 FDSH state championship squad.

Crooks shot 57 percent from the field that season as the Dodgers ran away with the conference title, going 11-1 in league play. Fort Dodge defeated West Des Moines Dowling to reach the state semifinals, where it lost to Carroll Kuemper despite a 20-point performance from Crooks. The team then clinched the consolation championship with a rout of Burlington.

Crooks’ career high came on Jan. 19, 1985, when the senior scored 30 points and had four slam dunks against Waterloo Central. As a junior the year before, Crooks was a reserve on a 15-6 Dodger squad that was led by all-stater Randy Reitsma and Jimmie’s older brother, John.

“Jim was the ultimate on and off the court,” said Charles Clayton, a 1989 FDSH graduate and founder and executive director of Athletes For Education and Success in Fort Dodge. “You wanted to play with and against him, you wanted to hang out with him, and you wanted him to give you a nickname, which meant you had his respect. You wanted to watch him dance, tell a story, or greet you with that smile.

“He was one of the best we’ve ever had (in Fort Dodge).”

After high school, Crooks would play at Mankato State and Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla. He eventually moved back to Fort Dodge.

Jimmie’s younger brother, Joe, died suddenly in 2009 at the age of 37. Like Johnnie and Jimmie, Joe was also a standout athlete for the Dodgers, as were sisters Chriss, Barb and Bernice.

Audi Crooks is a 6-foot-3 post player at Garrigan. The comparisons to Jimmie — from the size and athleticism to the deft footwork in the low post — are striking.

Audi, already a two-time first team all-stater who carries a 3.9 grade point average, currently has offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Drake, Maryland, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Kansas State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Mississippi State and Minnesota, among others. Her mother is Michelle (Vitzthum) Cook, a former Garrigan standout athlete.

“Big Jim and I became friends during some good battles as cross town rivals in junior high,” said Mike Murphy, a Dodger all-stater in 1985 and one of Crooks’ classmates. “Then we joined forces as high school teammates. For a guy his size and stature, he was one of the most humble and caring individuals I have met. Not a mean bone in his body.

“I have enjoyed watching his daughter follow in his footsteps. He was a great friend, and will be sorely missed — but never forgotten.”