Jim “Bubbles” Harris – (1986)

Jim “Bubbles” Harris

Mix a dab of charisma with a chunk of talent and you create a good ballplayer. Make it a big dab and a huge chunk and you have ”Bubbles Harris — Lorain’s finest basketball player ever.

”Bubbles” first burst into organized sport during the 1959 Little League season. He donned the catcher’s ”tools of torture” at tryout camp to be where the action began. Behind the mask, all you could see were the big white eyes and the pearly white teeth but everyone knew he was grinning ear to ear. He could play every position, including the pitcher, and he wound up on the All-star team.

He moved up the ladder in the sandlots and discovered football and basketball at Hawthorn Junior High, playing two years as running halfback in football and at guard on the court. He was in freshman football at Lorain High and then moved over to Admiral King.

Early on at King, when he started playing with the big guys, Bubbles, due to his stature, discovered he had to make a decision. The football coach only inserted him on certain plays in fear of injury and the curve ball put his foot in the ”bucket”. So, it had to be basketball, where size did not handicap him and the basket did not move.

Under Al McConihe, Admiral King lost in the regional final in 1965 and the district finals in 1966 and 1967. During that period of time, Bubbles set eleven records including — Career Scoring 1375 points — Career Average 24.1 ppg — Most points in Season 727 — Most points in game 51 — Season Average 31.6 ppg.

During the 1966-67 season, Bubbles led the Admirals to a 21-2 record and second in the state poll. He was All-Buckeye — First team All-State AP – UP and — Ohio’s ”Player of the Year”.

From 1967-69 Bubbles attended St. Clair Community College where he averaged 30.8 and was honored as Junior College All-American and in the Junior Colleges ”Who’s Who”.

Both Admiral King and St. Clair jerseys 30 and 31 have been retired.

From 1969-71 Bubbles attended Indiana University. In 1969-70 he was the team’s MVP averaging 18.5 ppg. The next year he was team captain and on the Big Ten All Star Squad.

Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1971, Bubbles passed his rookie camp but was released before the regular season began. Just as well, for to quote Bubbles ”I was a happy ballplayer, I could not believe the intensity. I just could not be that mean.”

Today Bubbles is in social services with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Franklin County, Ohio. It is a position he enjoys and which brought him further honors as an ”Outstanding Young Man of America” in 1983.