The father of Bradley men's basketball coach Brian Wardle dies at 68

PEORIA — Jim Wardle, the father of Bradley Braves men's basketball coach Brian Wardle, died on May 25 at age 68.

The coach eulogized his father at services on Thursday in Woodridge. Two days after Jim's death, Brian posted photos of his father via Twitter and wrote, "Blessed and thankful for the lessons and memories! I will see you again one day."

Jim Wardle's passion for work ethic and sports are present in Brian Wardle, who talked about his life in a Journal Star story published in early 2021.

"Brian was very, very competitive as a little kid," Jim Wardle said in that story. "Hated to lose, still does. He sketched out this little sign when he was really young: 'Born to compete.' Still has it, I think, in his office."

Brian Wardle grew up around his father's business, Murphy's Sign Studio, in Westmont. As a kid, Brian would put away the typeset blocks at the end of the day, and Jim Wardle would take his son out to lunch for Italian beef sandwiches all around Chicago.

"He'd sort out (the blocks) and put them back in the racks," Jim Wardle said. "As you know with typesetting, all the symbols on the blocks are backwards.

"So he'd get screwed up when he was learning to write. His teacher would ask us, 'Why is he writing his d's and b's backwards?' Because he saw it that way while putting away the typesetter blocks."

James Vernon Wardle was born in Roosevelt, Utah, and he is survived by his wife, Cynthia, and children Amy (Brad) Goebbert, Brian (Lecia) Wardle, Jenna (Ryan) Barrett, and Kevin (Kristin) Wardle as well as siblings Stan, Ruth, Howard and the late Allen and Laron. He was a proud grandfather to Braeden Goebbert, Kasten Goebbert, Mya Wardle, Emy Wardle, Davin Wardle, Liam Barrett, Grace Barrett and Brooke Barrett.

He was proud of how athletic his family was — especially since he and his wife did not have a sports history.

Jim Wardle was a professional musician at age 17, forming a band of fellow high schoolers, called Taxi. He played bass guitar in a traveling band.

"I grew up in Las Vegas, a musical family, my parents, all my siblings," Jim said in 2021. "I had three brothers and we all played in my dad's band. We played around hotels, arenas and churches, places like that."

More: How Bradley's Brian Wardle became the husband, father and coach he is today

He could still play in his later years, and did so whenever Brian Wardle hosted an end-of-season block party while coaching at Green Bay.

During the pandemic, it was Jim Wardle who made Bradley shield logo signs to place on the floor for social distancing markers during practices.

He leaves quite a legacy in the family that survives him.

The Wardle family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Heart Association or American Diabetes Association.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Father of Bradley Braves coach Brian Wardle dies at 68