By Brooke Wivagg
Elon University graduate, published author and sports enthusiast Rev. James (Jim) M. Waggoner died Sunday Dec. 14 at the age of 81.
Waggoner, who authored The Fighting Christians: Elon College Athletics Through the Years (1989), graduated from Elon in 1955.
During his time on campus, Waggoner was editor-in-chief of Elon's student newspaper, then the Maroon and Gold. After graduating from Elon, he collected sports data on Elon athletes, which would eventually turn into his book, The Fighting Christians.
For all his work on Elon athletes, Waggoner was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Waggoner grew up in Jacksonville, Florida but worked in North Carolina after graduating from Elon. He settled down in Raleigh where he worked as a Methodist minister for more than 20 years.
His legacy will live on through his wife and three children.
A service for Waggoner will be held Sun., Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Raleigh.