Tempered by near-death experiences, Jim Sterk brings calm to Mizzou

A young Jim Sterk pulled on his football pads and helmet for the first time at Western Washington University in August 1974.

Sterk, a farm boy from Nooksack, Wash., would set a Vikings record with 164 tackles as a senior linebacker in 1977 — a record that stands today — but he started his career as a wide-eyed cornerback.

And he’ll never forget the rude introduction, a sort of welcome-to-college-football moment, from Western Washington linebacker Gary Gilmore.

“He was a Vietnam vet, like 26 (years old), and I was barely 18,” Sterk said. “He hit me harder than I’ve ever been hit in my life. He hit the guy (with the ball) and that guy hit me. I’d never been hit like that before. Oh, my gosh.”

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