Oct. 29, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Jim Cummins, a three-year varsity letterwinner for the Northwestern men's basketball team from 1965-67, died Friday evening at the age of 62 following a battle with cancer.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cummins played forward for the Wildcats and started 19 of 24 games as a junior during the 1965-66 campaign while averaging 5.2 points per game. In a contest at Indiana that season, his steal and ensuing layup broke a 79-79 tie while his two free throws later on sealed an 83-82 win for the Wildcats. As a sophomore, his last-second basket gave Northwestern a 76-75 victory at Michigan State.
Cummins was in the starting lineup for 19 of 22 games his senior season, as he averaged 8.5 points per contest.
The 1964-65 Northwestern men's basketball media guide states that Cummins was influenced in his decision to attend the University by his desire to enter the Medill School of Journalism. The choice would lead to his notoriety as a professional, as he earned both his B.A. and masters degrees from Medill.
Cummins began his broadcasting career in 1969 in Mason City, Iowa, and went on to have stints in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Milwaukee before joining WMAQ-TV in Chicago. In 1978 he became a Chicago-based correspondent for NBC News and in 1989 he was named the Southwest bureau chief and correspondent, based in Dallas, a position he held until his retirement earlier this year.
Cummins covered a number of major events for NBC News and was honored with an Emmy in 1993 for his reporting on flooding in the Midwest.
He is survived by his wife, Connie, and their six children.