Tory James

{{Short description|American football player (born 1973)}}

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

{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Tory James

| image = Tory James.jpg

| caption = Tory James in 2006

| number = 20, 26

| position = Cornerback

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|5|18|mf=y}}

| birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 190

| high_school = Archbishop Shaw {{nowrap|(Marrero, Louisiana)}}

| college = LSU

| draftyear = 1996

| draftround = 2

| draftpick = 44

| pastteams = * Denver Broncos ({{NFL Year|1996|1999}})

• Oakland Raiders ({{NFL Year|2000|2002}})
• Cincinnati Bengals ({{NFL Year|2003|2006}})
• New England Patriots ({{NFL Year|2007}})*

| highlights = * 2× Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII)

• Pro Bowl (2004)

| statlabel1 = Total tackles

| statvalue1 = 416

| statlabel2 = Sacks

| statvalue2 = 1.0

| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles

| statvalue3 = 5

| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue4 = 4

| statlabel5 = Interceptions

| statvalue5 = 39

| statlabel6 = Defensive touchdowns

| statvalue6 = 1

| pfr = J/JameTo99

}}

Tory Steven James (born May 18, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).{{cite web|title=Tory James NFL Football Statistics|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JameTo99.htm|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=April 21, 2016}}

James attended Archbishop Shaw High School before going to college at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=1996 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1996/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} His career was endangered by a serious knee injury suffered in the first preseason game of the 1997 season. James tore the patellar tendon in his right knee and missed the entire season. The Broncos were the NFL champions of the 1998 season after winning Super Bowl XXXIII against the Atlanta Falcons.

In the 1999 season, after he accumulated 33 tackles and five interceptions, the Broncos made no effort to re-sign James. He then signed with the Oakland Raiders as an unrestricted free agent, signing a five-year, $18 million contract. However, after the 2002 season, the Raiders (after eight interceptions in three years) left James unprotected again, and he signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.

On January 6, 2001, during the Raiders' divisional playoff game against the Miami Dolphins, James made a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the Raiders beat the Dolphins, 27–0, in Oakland.{{cite web|title=Raiders shut out Dolphins, advance to AFC title tilt|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/2001/playoffs/news/2001/01/06/dolphins_raiders_ap/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010124101700/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/2001/playoffs/news/2001/01/06/dolphins_raiders_ap/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 24, 2001|work=CNN/SI|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=October 9, 2011|date=January 7, 2001}}

2004 proved to be James' best professional season, as he intercepted eight passes, notched 56 tackles, and forced two fumbles. He was voted onto the AFC Pro Bowl squad.

On February 9, 2007, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis indicated that James would not be resigned. He was signed by the New England Patriots on April 17, 2007. James was cut by the Patriots on September 9, 2007.