About Inductee

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1957 to former NASA engineer Charles Mundie and his wife Millie, James Herbert Mundie moved to Huntsville with his family in 1961. Over the next two decades, he steadily evolved into one of the most outstanding all-around athletes in the citys sports history. At the ages of 11 and 12, Mundie was a two-time All-Star for his Little League baseball team. He was a star running back in pee-wee football. He won several junior tournaments and became a scratch golfer. He was the leading hitter and a two-time All-City baseball player at J. O. Johnson High School in 1975 and 1976. In short, Mundie excelled in every sport he ever tried. But he is best remembered for his remarkable skills on the basketball court. A captivating guard at Johnson, he was All-City in both 1975 and 1976, was named the citys MVP as a senior and was third-team All-State the same year. James was a natural at sports, any sport, and so much fun to watch, says his sister, Deborrah Bell of Madison. You gave him a ball, explained the rules, and that was all he needed. Our parents were there every step of the way, cheering him on, encouraging him, and pushing him just a little bit harder. He and our dad relived each play after every game, from pee-wee football to his playing days at UAH. Wanting to make our parents proud played a big part in him becoming the star athlete that he was. Prominent AAU coach Mark Komara, a former teammate at Johnson and UAH, remembers his friend this way: James Mundie was the best overall athlete Ive ever seen in Huntsville, other than Condredge Holloway. Ive seen James shoot in the 60s in golf. He was a great hitter in baseball, and obviously he was unbelievable in basketball. If he had dedicated himself to do it, hed have played for the Celtics. The better the competition, the better James played. After transferring from Mississippi State University, Mundie played and starred three years for coach Kayo Willis at the University of Alabama-Huntsville during an era when UAH was annually one of the top NAIA teams in the nation. Mundies name still dots the basketball record books at UAH. He is No. 12 on the Chargers list of all-time scorers (86 games, 1,149 points, 13.4 ppg average); No. 1 in all-time assists (536, 6.2 apg average); No. 1 in single-season assists (245 in 37 games, 1980-81); 7th and 8th in free throw percentage (79-of-101, .782, in 1979-80 and 106-of-131, .809, in 1980-81); and 13th in 300-plus points in a season (15.0 in 1980-81). Mundie led the Chargers to second place in the 1981 NAIA national tournament at Kansas City and won the NAIA Hustle Award. He was also named to the All-Southern States Conference team in 1980 and 1981, voted NAIA District 27 All-Tournament team both years, and was selected third team NAIA All-America. James Mundie was only 38 when he died of previously undiagnosed bacterial meningitis in 1996. As the time of his death, he was managing supervisor of Brown Ferris Industries in Dallas, Texas.