Jim Colbert, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour and a 35-time professional winner overall, died on Sunday at the age of 85.
From 1969 to 1983, Colbert won eight tournaments on the tour, earning two playoff victories (2-0) in the process. One of those came in 1983 — a high mark calendar year for Colbert, the only year he won two tournaments — against Fuzzy Zoeller in the Colonial National Invitation.
Constantly adorned in his signature bucket hat, Colbert made an even bigger splash on the senior circuit, earning 20 senior PGA tour wins over a 10-year span from 1991 to 2001.
On that hat, Colbert came to embrace his signature look, after finding that people wouldn’t recognize him without it.
“Lee Trevino has the sombrero. Jack Nicklaus has the bear,” Colbert said. “I have my hat.”
Born in New Jersey, Colbert played golf and football before earning a football scholarship to attend Kansas State University. Following an injury, Colbert re-dedicated himself to golf, finishing runner-up at the 1964 NCAA Championship. He turned professional shortly thereafter.
After his turn on the PGA Tour, Colbert served as a golf analyst on ESPN before re-entering the game on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. He was an instant success there, winning three times in 1991 to earn Rookie of the Year honors.
Colbert had a public battle with prostate cancer in the late 1990s, but he rebounded to win another tournament in 1998, which resulted in his being named Comeback Player of the Year.
His continued involvement with his alma mater led to a friendship with longtime Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder and the construction of a golf course named in his honor, Colbert Hills, located in Manhattan, Kan.
“Jim had a positive influence on many, many lives,” Snyder said. “He never failed to step up to help when he was in a position to help his community and people in need.”
Colbert has been enshrined in the Kansas State Athletic Hall of Fame, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame, among other honors.
