At Cloudland, the late Jim Archer was a multi-athlete, who, from 1961 to 1965, excelled at many sports for the Highlanders.
On June 27, Archer will be inducted into the Carter County Sports Hall of Fame along with 15 other Carter County athletes.
“I wish he was still here,” Stacey Archer said about his brother Jim. “This would be a great honor to him.”
Growing up, Stacey remembers his brother was always involved in sports, and that he took it very seriously.
“He worked very hard,” Stacey said. “He was very dedicated to sports.”
The two sports that Jim Archer loved was football and basketball, Stacey said. And it was those two sports that he really excelled in.
During his time competing for the Highlanders on the hardwood, Jim Archer helped Cloudland reach many firsts. During his senior season, he pushed the ’Landers to their first conference title and what’s believed to be their first district title. His final two seasons with Cloudland, Archer was an All-Watauga Conference choice.
Jim Archer was a top scorer for the Highlanders, putting up scoring averages of 10.8, 13.9 and 14.4, respectively, his sophomore through senior years. Archer eventually wrapped up his basketball career at Cloudland with a total of 1,257 career points.
On the football gridiron, Acher was also apart of some Cloudland firsts. He started as a quarterback for four years. During the 1963 and 1964 seasons, Archer helped the Highlanders grab their first back-to-back winning seasons. During his freshman debut, Acher threw six touchdowns and also recorded a touchdown on foot.
He also shined on the defensive side of the ball, and was named All-Conference his junior season as a defensive back.
His senior season, Acher led Cloudland in scoring with 39 points, while also leading in touchdowns with six. He also threw four touchdowns his final season, garnering another spot on the All-Watauga team.
Archer also competed for the track team, and in 1965 he was apart of Highlanders’ Watauga Conference champion mile-relay team.
After highschool, Archer had a two-year stint at Milligan College, where competed for the Buffaloes on the basketball court, before being drafted into the military and serving two years in Vietnam.
After his time in the military, Acher went on to work for the Carter County bank, and eventual became vice president of the bank and manager of the Pine Crest branch.
In 1998, Jim Archer passed away of a heart attack.
Stacey Archer said his brother worked at everything he did, and would believe that being inducted into the Carter County Sports Hall of Fame was his biggest accomplishment.