Jamestown Community College assistant golf coach Jim Rissel, middle, walks off the course behind the Jayhawks’ Brady Fye as the latter shakes hands with head coach George Sisson at the NJCAA Division III Golf Championships at Chautauqua Golf Club on Friday. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

The NJCAA Division III Golf Championships are winding down to the last few holes on Friday. Yet, Jamestown Community College assistant golf coach Jim Rissel isn’t following his players around the Lake Course at Chautauqua Golf Club as they battle to one of their best team finishes in years.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to. But there’s work to do.

So as all the activity/interest centers around the scoreboard located just off the 18th green, Rissel is driving a cart to the outer reaches of the course to pick up welcome signs and banners with “NJCAA National Championship” emblazoned on them.

It’s hardly a glamorous job, but it’s absolutely necessary, because the banners are going to be needed for the post-round awards ceremony. Upon securing them to the back of the cart, Rissel turns around and heads back toward the clubhouse.

As I sit shotgun alongside the 77-year-old Jamestown resident, I can’t help but get the word “character” out of my mind. Defined as “doing the right thing when nobody is looking,” it should have Rissel’s photograph accompanying it.

Jamestown Community College’s Jim Rissel shows off his Jayhawk logo tattoo at the final day of the NJCAA Division III Golf Championships on the Lake Course at Chautauqua Golf Club. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Or, at least the tattoo that he wears on his left forearm.

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Retired from the former Quality Markets, Rissel’s interest in Jayhawks’ athletics began more than 20 years ago when Keith Martin, the former Jamestown CC women’s basketball coach, moved to the city’s west side, next door to Rissel and his wife, Sharon.

Before you knew it, the Rissels, who have now been married for 53 years, were regular attendees at games and, upon Rissel’s retirement, the couple became even bigger supporters, volunteering their time in a variety of ways.

Their support since has never wavered.

“To encourage the young people is something Sharon and I feed on,” said Rissel, who also serves as men’s assistant basketball coach. “It’s a great feeling to see them do well and, hopefully, we’re there to pick them up when it’s not going well.”

Jamestown CC director of athletics and recreation, and golf head coach George Sisson acknowledged that Rissel “loves his Jayhawks.”

“In all honesty, you have somebody who just cares about the entire program,” Sisson said. ” … I used to say he was my life coach. Everything is by (his) example. I’m blessed to have people like that around our program. It only makes our program richer, it makes our coaches richer and it makes our players richer.”

Austyn Cummings, who fired a 76 on the final day of the NJCAA Division III Golf Championships, called Rissel, “the man.”

“Coach Sisson is the guy who comes out there and gives us a little bit of heck and Rissel is the one who gets us to start smiling and he’s always a little more laid back,” Cummings said. “He’s such a good guy. We love him so much. He’s just the best.”

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Leading up to Christmas 2021, Sharon Rissel gave her husband a couple gift options.

One was a new wedding band.

The other?

A tattoo of the Jayhawk logo.

Rissel opted for the latter.

The green and yellow body art now has a permanent home on his left arm.

To Ashley Lund, Jamestown CC’s assistant director of athletics & compliance, that is only appropriate.

“He’s everything Jayhawk,” she said. “He bleeds it. Literally.”

Andrew Rogacki, the school’s communications coordinator for athletics, said Rissel’s connection to the college “keeps him young.”

“He comes in every single day … and he has more drive than any 20-year-old,” Rogacki said. ” … Everybody needs a Rissel. He’s just an organization guy.”

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Upon my arrival at Chautauqua Golf Club on the first day of the NJCAA Tournament, I expected Rissel to be following the Jamestown CC players around the golf course, but I didn’t find him until much later.

I shouldn’t have been surprised.

As the “volunteer coordinator” for the event, Rissel was cooking hot dogs for the folks who had agreed to help out.

“You see things that need to be done and you take care of it,” he said.

And although he was trying to shake a cold all week, he never stopped smiling.

Not Tuesday.

Not Wednesday.

Not Thursday.

Not Friday.

“I’m just doing the things I enjoy doing,” he said.

Noted Lund, who has known the Rissels for 20 years, dating back to when she was a student/athlete at the college: “They’re an integral part of what we do. We couldn’t do it without them.”