In 1957, James Couch started the Dyckman Basketball Community Program in the Inwood section of northern Manhattan. The goal of the program was and still is to educate young men and women through sports, giving them exposure to educational and scholarship opportunities. The program started in the back of Dyckman projects at Monsignor Kett Playground on 204th Street and Nagle Avenue. In 1960, he met Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and became his first playground coach. Mr. Couch's teams played in the YMCA, Housing Authority Basketball League, and the Public School Night Center League in the winter and the prestigious Holcombe Rucker League in the summer. In 1971, Mr. Couch convinced the city council of New York to install lights in the park to keep the youth of the area involved in basketball activities to counter the rising problems of drug and gang activity that were sweeping its way through the city.
The Holcombe Rucker Memorial League took note of this and asked him to let Dyckman Park become the first non-Harlem location to host the oldest summer league in the United States. For fifteen years the Holcombe Rucker tournament flourished at Dyckman Park and Mr. Couch became well-known to college coaches as a reliable and honest man who was genuinely concerned about educational progress. Soon, groups of young men were off to junior and senior college due to his tireless commitment to playground basketball.
Mr. Couch was recognized by the local newspapers as a community activist and soon professional players began to contribute their time and give clinics at the park. Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Willis Reed, and Spencer Haywood contributed, while local pro players became associates of the program through a night pro workout that was established at The Good Shepherd School in Inwood with the help of Arnie Jacobs, Evander Ford, and Lincoln Sessoms who helped establish the famous "Dyckman Workout:" two-hours of basketball conditioning that was likened to a marine-styled obstacle course. The word around the city was that if you could get through the workout you were deemed tough, and men and women from the tri-state area would come to physically and mentally challenge themselves to see if they could compete with top-level athletes.
Several colleges agreed to let the community-based program into their schools to further Mr. Couch's vision of giving kids a taste of the higher educational opportunities presented on the college level. College and High School coaches attended and lives were changed in one day. The countless men and women who have benefited from Mr. Couch's community service have contributed to the betterment of our society. Today, the free program serves over 500 young men and women year-round through its basketball clinics, special events, and tournament play.The program presently hosts or co-sponsors clinics at Manhattan College, Fordham University, and John F. Kennedy High School. Student-Athletes participate in the Holcombe Rucker League, Nike Swoosh, Nike Pro-City, Uptown Challenge Basketball Tournament, and the Jim Couch Fall Reunion Games. Several alumni run programs based on Mr. Couch's example and his legacy lives on.
Jim Couch Foundation Committee
Members:
Sean Couch
Ronnie Pearson
Carl Wilson
Omar Booth
Willie Green
Bonnie Henderson
Kasib Powell
Al Morales
Milton Lee
Ronald Kapon
Marian Moorer
Elliot Rosado
Ed Pickney
Maurice Sessoms
Johnny Mathis
Donald Osborne
Darren Neal
Ricky Nurse
Ronnie Pearson
Carl Wilson
Omar Booth
Willie Green
Bonnie Henderson
Kasib Powell
Al Morales
Milton Lee
Ronald Kapon
Marian Moorer
Elliot Rosado
Ed Pickney
Maurice Sessoms
Johnny Mathis
Donald Osborne
Darren Neal
Ricky Nurse
The Jim Couch Fall Reunion Games was the brainchild of Mr. Couch's son, Sean. Going into its third year, the three-game showcase features a Rising Freshman Game, a girls Uptown Challenge All-Star High School game and a boys City Challenge High School game. Last year's games were hosted at John F. Kennedy High in the Bronx.
Players who have participated are Kemba Walker, Darryl "Truck" Bryant, Omari Lawrence, Tobias Harris, Sherrod Wright, Erving Walker, Kevin Jones, Dwight Hardy, Mike Poole, and several others. The Game was created to benefit and support Mr. Couch's Free Clinic Program. The Program is presently hosted on selected weekends at Manhattan College and Fordham University. Several high school programs send their players for basketball conditioning and instruction.
During the spring and into the fall, a student-athtlete has an opportunity to receive high-level instruction from one of our highly-skilled volunteer trainers.
The Foundation also collaborates with Bounce Magazine's Chain Link Fundamentals - an outdoor basketball clinic in the parks of New York City. We also provided the P.S.A.L. - Public School Athletic League - a Free Conditioning Clinic last fall, over 200 student-athletes attended. The Foundation is seeking to bring in a corporate sponsor to host year-round conditioning and coaching clinics for the Public School System.
Our programming is based on showing our younger athletes solid opportunities that provide positive citizenship in our communities.
Players who have participated are Kemba Walker, Darryl "Truck" Bryant, Omari Lawrence, Tobias Harris, Sherrod Wright, Erving Walker, Kevin Jones, Dwight Hardy, Mike Poole, and several others. The Game was created to benefit and support Mr. Couch's Free Clinic Program. The Program is presently hosted on selected weekends at Manhattan College and Fordham University. Several high school programs send their players for basketball conditioning and instruction.
During the spring and into the fall, a student-athtlete has an opportunity to receive high-level instruction from one of our highly-skilled volunteer trainers.
The Foundation also collaborates with Bounce Magazine's Chain Link Fundamentals - an outdoor basketball clinic in the parks of New York City. We also provided the P.S.A.L. - Public School Athletic League - a Free Conditioning Clinic last fall, over 200 student-athletes attended. The Foundation is seeking to bring in a corporate sponsor to host year-round conditioning and coaching clinics for the Public School System.
Our programming is based on showing our younger athletes solid opportunities that provide positive citizenship in our communities.
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Jim Couch - Foundation Founder and Creator of the Dyckman Basketball Organization
Dyckman Park - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's first playground
Foundation Sponsored Workout at JFK H.S. in the Bronx with partner Bounce Magazine
Nate Archibald - Jim Couch Foundation Volunteer
Foundation alumni and former Miami Heat player Kasib Powell runs his own youth programming in Teaneck NJ.
Original Dyckman Youth Coach Evander Ford and Jim Couch Reunion Director - Sean Couch, son of Jim Couch.
Volunteer Milton Lee - NBA Trainer and Foundation Coach in the Nike Pro-City League in New York City
Sean Couch in Dyckman Park, Specialized Outdoor Instructor and Grassroots Basketball Consultant through the Jim Couch Foundation
Youth Coach Elliot Rosado with Villanova's Corey Fisher
:: The Jim Couch Foundation is not-for-profit 501(c) 3 Corporation registered in the State of New York ::
