Gretchen James was one of the first 5 women inducted into the Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame. Coach James was inducted in the sport of archery which no longer exists under the AIA umbrella. Her archery teams dominated the sport during its existence. Gretchen was the first coach from Arizona recognized as the Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 1979. She was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006. Gretchen taught physical education for three years in Fresno, CA before returning to Phoenix where she taught and coached at Camelback High School for 21 years. She excelled as an archery coach with her varsity teams, amassing a record of 127-1 and her junior varsity teams a perfect 95-0 record. Her archers also won 18 Arizona State Championships and 29 National Championships in five different divisions. She was a five-time Arizona Coaches Association Coach of the Year and the 1979 National Girls Coach of the Year recipient. She also coached golf and tennis with consistently winning teams in both sports. Her final coaching record for all three sports was 682 wins, 58 losses, and 5 ties. Gretchen was also the head official scorer for the 1972 and 1984 Olympic Games. 

Coach James was born and lived in Dodgeville, WI after her retirement. Gretchen passed away at age 96 in Dodgeville on February 17, 2025.