Jim Welch

{{Short description|American football player (1938–2017)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Jim Welch

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|3|17}}

| birth_place = Anson, Texas

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|10|25 |1938|3|17}}

| death_place = Southlake, Texas

| number = 46

| status =

| position = Defensive back

| height_ft =

| height_in =

| weight_lb =

| college = Southern Methodist

| draftyear = 1960

| draftround = 3

| draftpick = 34

| afldraftyear = 1960

| afldraftround = 2

| pastteams =

• Baltimore Colts (1960–1967)
• Detroit Lions (1968)

| highlights =

• Big Country Hall of Fame (2008)

}}

James Welch (March 17, 1938 — October 25, 2017) was a professional American football player who played nine seasons in the NFL.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WelcJi20.htm|title = Jim Welch Stats|website = Pro-Football-Reference.com}}

Welch is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) |website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= The New York Times |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}