Jim Healey is a retired former teacher and coach. An NAIA All-American for three years at Rockhurst College, he was selected to the 1968 NAIA Olympic Trials squad. He was drafted by teams in the NBA and the ABA in 1969. Following graduation, he played briefly in Italy, before signing a contract with the Denver Rockets of the ABA. However, a knee injury (torn ACL) would not permit him to continue. After a second brief stint in Europe, he returned to St. Louis, where he began teaching and coaching at Christian Brothers High School. He left teaching in 1974 and began a career in business. In 1989, he published his first golf-related book, The Golf Directory. Later, in 1997, he wrote and published Golfing Before The Arch, at the time the definitive book on St. Louis Golf History. In the years since, he has written over three dozen books for area clubs, celebrating anniversaries, beginning with Glen Echo Country Club in 2001. He has also written history books for a Jewish Temple, a manufacturing company, and a book on black golf in the St. Louis region. He currently has five books under contract, with two nearing completion in late 2021. Though retired since 2008, he has remained active in the golf world as editor of the Metropolitan Golf Association Newsletter from 2014-2020.