JIM SOMERS
Football, 1947-49
Inducted February 23, 1985
 
Another of the many standout offensive linemen playing for the grid Bears in the late 1940’s, offensive guard Jim Somers was a teammate of Homer Martin on Coach Tommy O’Boyle’s outstanding teams of 1947 and 1948 as the Bears went 16-4-1 for those two seasons.  A native of Reidsville, N.C., Somers finished his career playing for Coach Fred Thomsen in 1949 as the Bruins came back to finish as the MIAA runnerup that year in an overall 5-4-1 campaign and a 3-1-1 league season.  Somers was voted as the outstanding lineman in the conference in 1948 as his guard play teamed with Dick Kerin to help the Bruins to the league co-championship.  Somers was an all-conference first team selection in all three of his SMS seasons and received Little All-American honorable mention selection from the Associated Press in 1948.