Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football Mourns the Loss of Jim Dillard
July 19, 2022 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State football team mourns the loss of former Cowboy Jim Dillard, who passed away this week.
Dillard was a standout in the Oklahoma State backfield from 1959-61, wrapping up his three-year varsity career with 13 rushing touchdowns and more than 1,800 rushing yards on nearly 400 carries.
His name also dots the OSU record book as he is one of just eight players to lead the team in rushing yards in three straight seasons, and his 91-yard rush against Tulsa in 1959 still ranks as the sixth-longest rush in school history.
Dillard's best rushing performance came against Tulsa as a senior in 1961, as his 171-yard rushing effort marked the fourth 100-yard rushing games of his career.
After his time in Stillwater, Dillard was drafted by both Baltimore and Oakland, but chose to play in the Canadian Football League, where he played for seven years. He was named to the CFL East All Stars as well as the CFL West All-Stars. He returned to the NFL and played for the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. In 1975 he was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award for the all time greats in Oklahoma football for the 1950s.
His late son JR Dillard was also a standout on the Cowboy football team.
Funeral services for Dillard will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, in the sanctuary of the Cleveland First Christian Church. Visitation will be on Monday, July 25, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Chapman Black Funeral Home. Burial will be at 2 p.m. in the Fairfax Cemetery, Fairfax, Oklahoma. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions in Jim's memory be made to the First Christian Church, Building fund, 100 S. Division, Cleveland, OK 74020.
Dillard was a standout in the Oklahoma State backfield from 1959-61, wrapping up his three-year varsity career with 13 rushing touchdowns and more than 1,800 rushing yards on nearly 400 carries.
His name also dots the OSU record book as he is one of just eight players to lead the team in rushing yards in three straight seasons, and his 91-yard rush against Tulsa in 1959 still ranks as the sixth-longest rush in school history.
Dillard's best rushing performance came against Tulsa as a senior in 1961, as his 171-yard rushing effort marked the fourth 100-yard rushing games of his career.
After his time in Stillwater, Dillard was drafted by both Baltimore and Oakland, but chose to play in the Canadian Football League, where he played for seven years. He was named to the CFL East All Stars as well as the CFL West All-Stars. He returned to the NFL and played for the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. In 1975 he was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award for the all time greats in Oklahoma football for the 1950s.
His late son JR Dillard was also a standout on the Cowboy football team.
Funeral services for Dillard will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, in the sanctuary of the Cleveland First Christian Church. Visitation will be on Monday, July 25, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Chapman Black Funeral Home. Burial will be at 2 p.m. in the Fairfax Cemetery, Fairfax, Oklahoma. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions in Jim's memory be made to the First Christian Church, Building fund, 100 S. Division, Cleveland, OK 74020.
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