Jim Quiocho was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1927. He begin his boxing career at the age of 17 and from 1945-46 was ranked as a top amateur in the state. Jim also enrolled in the Air force in 1947 and was a boxing champ for the Air force Team in Germany. He had the boxing bug and he also wanted to coach boxing by 1953. He was a coach of the Pacific Area Boxing Team in that year and helped guide two of his team boxers to Gold at The World Air force Boxing Championships at the Lackland Air force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Back in the USA Mainland, Jim became a boxing coach at Biggs Air Force Base in El Paso, Texas. He was asked to officiate boxing too and started that phase of his r in 1954. Officiating took Jim back to the seas where in 1954 he was selected to be a boxing official for The Pacific Ocean Inter-Service Boxing championships in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He continued on doing coaching and officiating until his retirement from the United States Air Force in 1967.
Jim found his way back to El Paso, Texas and went to UTEP where he obtained both his undergraduate and Master’s Degrees from 1967 - 1970. Then, Jim was quickly hired by the El Paso YMCA. During his decade of work at the YMCA, Jim implemented many fitness programs including the renowned “Run for Your Life” program. He was also instrumental in 1978 of having the YMCA host a National Volleyball Tournament.
Jim gained notice from The Texas House of Representatives and in 1972 and was duly honored by them as they citied his outstanding service in the field of health and physical education. During this time, Jim also continued to serve as a boxing official. Then in 1983, he was selected as a faculty instructor in The Exercise and Sports Science Department of The El Paso Community College. He held that position for many years before retiring a second time. But, he never retired from serving the boxing community.
Jim was doing quite well as a boxing official – and so well in fact- that he was selected to referee the Robin Blake versus Ruben Munoz World Championship Bout which was nationally televised on The Wide World of Sports. He then continued to excel in refereeing until he was in his seventies. Jim also took the time and tasks of helping the Board of Directors of the El Paso Boxing/Martial Arts Hall of Fames from 1993 until 1996 when he was chosen to be an honored inductee himself. From that moment on, Jim joined the Board of Directors for a four year tenure.
Jim is married to Carrie Beth Quiocho and they have spent decades together in the sports world and in the often violent sport of boxing. They have been charitable and humble in all dealings with boxers, boxing officials, the public and our elected officials.
At this time, I can only say that we have lost a very important man from the El Paso Boxing Community and a First Class American Citizen. May his journey from here on be one of peace.There will be services for Jim on Thursday the 18th of June, 2015 at Hillcrest Funeral Home at Yarbrough and Carolina Dr. from 5-7 p.m. Then on Friday, June 19th, 2015, Jim will be buried at Ft. Bliss. More details as I am afforded them.
Thomas McKay
www.convictedartist.com
