Beloit College

"Jimmy” Laffin was an outstanding basketball forward who played a major role in Beloit’s domination of the Midwest and State conferences in the early 1920’s.  After starting on the road to hardcourt fame at Beloit High School, he became a prominent cog in the College’s offensive machine that rolled to three consecutive undefeated championships in both leagues while recording 39 victories and losing only twice.  The 1922 and 1924 teams on which he starred were perfect, winning all 12 games in the former season and 14 during the latter.  Team captain as a junior, Laffin tallied 133 points, slightly more than a third of Beloit’s total, and was the leading Midwest Conference scorer as Coach Tommy Mills club posted a 13-2 record.  He was an accurate shooter, fine ball handler, and excellent defensive player on teams noted for their speed.  In baseball, he was a slick-fielding shortstop and a consistent hitter; he also captained the 1924 team, the last to represent Beloit on an intercollegiate level for three decades.  After college, Laffin participated in both sports in the Rockford Industrial League, playing on championship clubs sponsored by Mattison Machine Works, for which he worked 34 years as a production engineer-manager.  He died at age 68 in 1969.