John James (American football)
{{Short description|American football player (born 1949)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = John James
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| number = 6
| position = Punter
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|1|21|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Panama City, Florida, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lbs = 197
| high_school = Gainesville (FL)
| college = Florida
| undraftedyear = 1972
| pastteams =
- Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1972}}–{{NFL Year|1981}})
- Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1982}})
- Houston Oilers ({{NFL Year|1982}}–{{NFL Year|1984}})
| highlights =
- 2× Second-team All-Pro (1976, 1977)
- 3× Pro Bowl (1975–1977)
- 4× NFL punting yards leader ({{NFL Year|1974}}, {{NFL Year|1976}}-{{NFL Year|1978}})
- University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame
| statleague = NFL
| statlabel1 = Punts
| statvalue1 = 1,083
| statlabel2 = Punting yards
| statvalue2 = 43,992
| statlabel3 = Average distance
| statvalue3 = 40.6
| pfr = JameJo20
}}
John Wilbur James, Jr. (born January 21, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a punter for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. James played college football for the Florida Gators, and thereafter, he played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions and the Houston Oilers. James led the league in punting yards four times, a record since tied by Shane Lechler.
Early life
James was born in Panama City, Florida in 1949.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JameJo20.htm John James]. Retrieved July 8, 2010. James has three older sisters.
College career
James attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was a walk-on punter for the Gators teams under coaches Ray Graves and Doug Dickey from 1969 to 1971.[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402035222/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf |date=April 2, 2012 }}, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 85, 152, 182 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011. He was the Gators' starting punter in 1970 and 1971, and kicked fifty-seven punts for an average distance of 40.3 yards during his senior year in 1971. James graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in 1971, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978.F Club, Hall of Fame, [http://www.gatorfclub.org/hall-of-fame/greats Gator Greats]. Retrieved December 14, 2014."[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=F44sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AfsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6597,7850180&dq=nat-moore+hall-of-fame&hl=en Bean And Koch Inducted]", The Ledger, p. 1D (March 30, 1978). Retrieved June 23, 2010.
Professional career
James played in the NFL from {{NFL Year|1972}} to {{NFL Year|1984}} for three teams: the Atlanta Falcons (ten years), the Detroit Lions (three games) and the Houston Oilers (three years).National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/players/johnjames/profile?id=JAM265784 John James]. Retrieved June 4, 2010. He reached the peak of his profession, being selected three times for the Pro Bowl,databaseFootball.com, Players, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100212013311/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=JAMESJOH01 John James]}}. Retrieved June 4, 2010. an NFL all-star game pitting the best players from the American Football Conference (AFC) against the best of the National Football Conference (NFC). James finished his thirteen-season NFL career with a total of 1,083 punts for 43,992 yards and an average distance of 40.6 yards.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league |
| Bold
| Career high |
= Regular season =
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="10"| Punting | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|GP|Games played}} | Punts | {{abbr|Yds|Yards}} | {{Nowrap|Net Yds}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest punt}} | {{abbr|Avg|Average}} | {{Nowrap|Net Avg}} | {{abbr|Blk|Blocked punts}} | {{abbr|Ins20|Inside 20 yard line}} | {{abbr|TB|Touchbacks}} | |
| 1972 | ATL
| 14 || 61 || 2,609 || 2,310 || 59 || 42.8 || 37.9 || 0 || - || 3 | |||||||||
| 1973 | ATL
| 14 || 63 || 2,682 || 2,397 || 72 || 42.6 || 38.0 || 0 || - || 5 | |||||||||
| 1974 | ATL
| 14 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 96 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 3,891 || 3,093 || 65 || 40.5 || 31.9 || 1 || - || 7 | |||||||||
| 1975 | ATL
| 14 || 89 || 3,696 || 3,047 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 75 || 41.5 || 33.9 || 1 || - || 13 | |||||||||
| 1976 | ATL
| 14 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 101 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 4,253 || 3,653 || 67 || 42.1 || 36.2 || 0 || 28 || 12 | |||||||||
| 1977 | ATL
| 14 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 105 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 4,349 || 3,570 || 61 || 41.4 || 34.0 || 0 || 19 || 13 | |||||||||
| 1978 | ATL
| 16 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 109 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 4,227 || 3,742 || 57 || 38.8 || 34.0 || 1 || 24 || 9 | |||||||||
| 1979 | ATL
| 16 || 83 || 3,296 || 2,957 || 62 || 39.7 || 35.2 || 1 || 12 || 4 | |||||||||
| 1980 | ATL
| 16 || 79 || 3,087 || 2,707 || 59 || 39.1 || 34.3 || 0 || 25 || 7 | |||||||||
| 1981 | ATL
| 16 || 87 || 3,543 || 2,866 || 62 || 40.7 || 32.6 || 1 || 13 || 5 | |||||||||
| rowspan="2" | 1982 | DET
| 2 || 12 || 481 || 404 || 50 || 40.1 || 33.7 || 0 || 3 || 2 | |||||||||
| HOU
| 5 || 31 || 1,260 || 1,062 || 56 || 40.6 || 34.3 || 0 || 4 || 2 | ||||||||||
| 1983 | HOU
| 16 || 79 || 3,136 || 2,622 || 53 || 39.7 || 32.8 || 1 || 12 || 8 | |||||||||
| 1984 | HOU
| 16 || 88 || 3,482 || 2,764 || 55 || 39.6 || 31.4 || 0 || 20 || 5 | |||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career | 187 | 1,083 | 43,992 | 37,194 | 75 | 40.6 | 34.2 | 6 | 160 | 95 |
= Playoffs =
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;" | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="10"| Punting | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|GP|Games played}} | Punts | {{abbr|Yds|Yards}} | {{Nowrap|Net Yds}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest punt}} | {{abbr|Avg|Average}} | {{Nowrap|Net Avg}} | {{abbr|Blk|Blocked punts}} | {{abbr|Ins20|Inside 20 yard line}} | {{abbr|TB|Touchbacks}} | |
| 1978 | ATL
| 2 || 13 || 457 || 358 || 49 || 35.2 || 27.5 || 0 || 1 || 2 | |||||||||
| 1980 | ATL
| 1 || 4 || 144 || 148 || 40 || 36.0 || 37.0 || 0 || 2 || 0 | |||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career | 3 | 17 | 601 | 506 | 49 | 35.4 | 29.8 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Life after the NFL
James is the father of five children, Helen James, Scott James, Matthew James, Susanna James, and Rose James and grandfather of seven. He held the position of executive director of Gator Boosters, Inc. at the University of Florida from 1986 to 2012, overseeing the booster fund-raising operation to fund athletic scholarships for Gator athletes.GatorZone.com, [http://www.gatorzone.com/directory/#james University Athletic Association Department Directory]. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
See also
{{Portal|American football|Biography|College football}}
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
Bibliography
- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). {{ISBN|0-7948-2298-3}}.
- Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). {{ISBN|0-9650782-1-3}}.
- Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). {{ISBN|1-58261-514-4}}.
- McCarthy, Kevin M., [https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tk-IQepI6cC Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football], Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). {{ISBN|978-0-7385-0559-6}}.
- McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). {{ISBN|0-87397-025-X}}.
- Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). {{ISBN|1-57167-196-X}}.
{{NFL punting yards leaders}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, John}}
Category:American football punters
Category:Atlanta Falcons players
Category:Detroit Lions players
Category:Florida Gators football players
Category:Houston Oilers players
Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players
Category:Players of American football from Panama City, Florida
Category:Players of American football from Gainesville, Florida