John James (American Football)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. John Wilbur James, Jr. (born January 21, 1949) is a former American college and professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons in the 1970s and 1980s. James played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions and the Houston Oilers of the NFL. James was born in Panama City, Florida in 1949. He has three older sisters. James attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was a punter for the Florida Gators football team under coaches Ray Graves and Doug Dickey from 1969 to 1971. 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.