LV Stars’ mainstay Holliday dies at 67

Friday, Oct. 6, 2000 | 2:21 a.m.

Longtime Cashman Field scoreboard operator Jim "Doc" Holliday, the "next to last of the original Las Vegas Stars," was found dead in his Las Vegas home Thursday night. He was 67.

The cause of death was not immediately known, although a family source said it was believed to be a heart attack.

Holliday was the former baseball coach at athletic administrator at Western High School. But he was a fixture at Cashman Field during the Stars' entire 18-year existence.

"He's one of the original Stars," said Bob Blum, the Stars' senior administrative assistant who came on board shortly after Holliday. "With the exception of (team president) Don Logan, he was the only other one (still remaining)."

In fact, Holliday was the only man to have witnessed every Stars' home game from 1983-96. His streak ended at 1,004 games on June 29, 1996 when he took a night off to attend the wedding of his daughter, Barbara.

"That's her day, and her dad is gonna be there," Holliday said at the time.

The former Barbara Holliday died earlier this year of complications due to pregnancy. Her wedding and funeral were the only times her father did not operate the scoreboard at Cashman Field during the Stars' existence.

"He loved being here for every game, and he was just a great person," Blum said. "He worked Little League games, he worked softball games, he was involved in all kind of athletics. But he was a historian on the Stars."

Holliday, who sometimes performed doubly duty as the Stars' official scorekeeper, was proud of his many years of service to the club.

"I'm the only guy who has seen every Stars game," he said during a 1996 interview. "I think that shows some dedication and loyalty."