Tommy James (American football)
Punter | |||||
Personal information | |||||
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Born: | Canton, Ohio, U.S. | September 16, 1923||||
Died: | February 7, 2007 Massillon, Ohio, U.S. | (aged 83)||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||
Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Massillon Washington (Massillon, Ohio) | ||||
College: | Ohio State | ||||
NFL draft: | 1947 / Round: 17 / Pick: 146 | ||||
Career history | |||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Thomas Laverne James, Jr. (September 16, 1923 – February 7, 2007) was an
After a three-year stint in the U.S. Army during World War II, James returned to play a final season at Ohio State in 1946. He then signed with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), where he stayed for a year before rejoining Brown, who had become head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). James spent eight seasons in Cleveland, playing as a defensive halfback on five championship teams, including two in the AAFC in the late 1940s and three in the NFL in the 1950s. He left football after playing briefly for the Baltimore Colts in 1956. Later in life, he worked as a salesman at a trucking company. He died in 2007.
High school and college
James grew up in Genoa, a small community in between Canton, Ohio and Massillon, Ohio.[1] The oldest of five children, one of his younger brothers included Don James, a Hall of Fame coach for Kent State and the University of Washington. He attended grammar school there through the eighth grade, but the town did not have a high school and students could choose to attend either Massillon Washington High School or the rival Canton McKinley High School.[1] James at first decided to attend Canton, but Bud Houghton, an assistant coach of Massillon's football team, saw him playing in an informal scrimmage on a street corner and convinced him to come to Massillon.[1] He played football there for three years under head coach Paul Brown.[1][2] Playing as a back, James was part of a Massillon team that went undefeated in 1940.[3] He scored a touchdown in a 28–0 victory over Toledo's Waite High School, the biggest game of the year; Massillon came into the matchup having won 30 games in a row, while Waite had won 18 straight.[4]
James attended
James enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and served for three years during World War II.[5] He returned to Ohio State in 1946 and played on the varsity team again. The Buckeyes finished with a 4–3–2 record under coach Paul Bixler.[5][11]
Professional career
James signed with the
James continued to be a key defensive player for the Browns in 1949, when the team won another AAFC championship behind a staunch defense and an offense led by
Cleveland reached the championship in each of the ensuing three years, but lost each time, once to the Rams and twice to the
Brown released the 33-year-old James on
Later life and death
After his football career, James worked in the trucking business as a salesman, retiring at age 69.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Sauerbrei, Harold (November 4, 1948). "James Rejoins 1st Coach, Bolsters Browns' Defense". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 23.
- ^ Cantor 2008, p. 4.
- ^ Cantor 2008, p. 206.
- ^ Cantor 2008, pp. 34–36.
- ^ a b c d "Ohio State May Lose James To Pro League". The Portsmouth Times. Columbus. March 28, 1947. p. 14. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ Cantor 2008, p. 43.
- ^ Cantor 2008, pp. 58, 206.
- ^ Cantor 2008, p. 55.
- ^ Cantor 2008, pp. 55, 206.
- ^ Cantor 2008, p. 58.
- ^ "1946 Ohio State Buckeyes Statistics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ a b "James of Buckeyes Signs With Detroit". The Milwaukee Journal. Detroit, Mich. Associated Press. April 3, 1947. p. 11. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ a b "Tommy James Is Signed by Browns". Cleveland Plain Dealer. July 21, 1948. p. 22.
Tommy played for the Detroit Lions in the National League in 1947 until his arm was broken in the second game of the season. The injury kept James on the sidelines for the remainder of the campaign, and his option was not renewed by Detroit.
- ^ Piascik 2007, p. 121.
- ^ Piascik 2007, p. 146.
- ^ Piascik 2007, p. 141.
- ^ a b c d e Greetham, Fred (December 10, 2000). "Where Are They Now? – Tommy James". Cleveland Browns. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ a b Piascik 2007, p. 181.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 233, 253, 281.
- ^ "Tommy James NFL Football Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 324, 341.
- ^ Heaton, Chuck (September 24, 1956). "Browns May Drop James as Squad Must be Cut From 40 to 35". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 50.
- ^ a b Heaton, Chuck (September 29, 1956). "Browns Drop Tommy James". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 26.
- ^ "Kiesling Calls TD Play From Stadium Perch". Cleveland Plain Dealer. October 29, 1956. p. 32.
- ^ "Former Browns player Tommy James dies at 83". ESPN.com. Massillon, Ohio. Associated Press. February 9, 2007. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
Bibliography
- Cantor, George (2008). Paul Brown: The Man Who Invented Modern Football. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-725-8.
- Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-571-6.