Syracuse University retired the basketball jersey of Jim Lee ’75 on Saturday, Feb. 21, honoring a former co-captain of the 1975 Final Four team who has remained one of the university’s most consistent supporters of its veteran and military-connected community.
Lee served on the OVMA Advisory Board from March 2018 to October 2022 and has been a longtime friend and supporter of both the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs and the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.
His commitment to that community is rooted in family. In January 1945, his father, Harold “Snook” Lee, was serving in the U.S. Coast Guard when his ship was struck at the exact point where he was sleeping. Harold survived but lost both of his legs. Over the following three years, he underwent a series of operations, was fitted with artificial limbs and learned to walk again — refusing to let his physical condition define him.
For Jim Lee, watching his father navigate daily life became its own education.
“Simply watching him go about his daily routine, I could not help but learn how to compete and prevail,” Lee has said.
After Harold passed away, Lee and his brother Tim, along with friends Marty Lamon, Tom Farneti and Tom Mossotti, established the Harold Lee Open golf tournament in 2003 in his honor. The tournament sold out every year since its founding and has raised more than $400,000 for disabled veterans.
“I wanted to do something to remember him, as well as all the veterans who gave their lives or became disabled protecting our freedom and way of life,” Lee said. “These heroes deserve to be thanked and honored.”
Lee has also received the Onondaga County Veterans Council Humanitarian of the Year Award and the Whitman School of Management Dean’s Citation for Exceptional Service Award.
Jim Lee was a mathematics graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences who also earned a degree in math education from the School of Education. He received the Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence Award, was named to the All Century Basketball Team and received the Letter Winner of Distinction Award. He also authored “Fifteen Feet For Free,” a guide to foul shooting, donating a portion of proceeds to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans program at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
In 2022, Lee and his wife, Lou Ann assisted in the funding to establish The Captain Michael William Krzyzewski Award for Leadership and Civic Engagement, an annual scholarship presented to a Syracuse student veteran, active servicemember or military family member who embodies the values of honor, empathy and servant-leadership. The scholarship was announced during what would be Coach K’s final visit to the JMA Wireless Dome as head coach of Duke.
“Jim Lee’s connection to Syracuse University spans more than five decades, from co-captaining the 1975 Final Four team to becoming a dedicated supporter of the OVMA,” said Ron Novack, Col., U.S. Army (Ret.), executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs. “His years of service on the OVMA Advisory Board, and the generosity he and Lou Ann showed in helping fund the scholarship in honor of Coach K and his father Harold, speak to a man who has never stopped giving back to this university and to those who served. Congratulations, Jim. This recognition is a long time coming.”
At the time of the scholarship announcement, Lee spoke to the personal motivation behind the gift.
“As a former Syracuse University men’s basketball player and now a season ticket holder, it is my pleasure to step up and honor Coach K for his service in the United States Army,” Lee said in 2022. “Since my father Harold Lee, a United States Coast Guard veteran, passed away, I’ve made it a personal mission of mine to support veterans and military-connected students through my support of the University and my role on the OVMA Advisory Board.”
Lee and his wife have two daughters, Amanda and Suzanne, and a son, Jay.