James Stehley lettered 4 years in football, basketball, baseball, and track at Phillipsburg High School in Kansas.

He attended the University of Missouri on a football scholarship for one year and then served 3 ˝ years in the Army Air Force during WW II. After the war, Stehley attended Kansas State University where he lettered in football 4 years.

In 1956, Coach Stehley came to Snyder and led the Tigers to 10 straight district track championships.

Coach Stehley left coaching to work in the district as assistant principal at Travis Junior High and later served as the first principal of Snyder Junior High.