# John James (American football)

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. 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. 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.

## Professional career

James played in the NFL from 1972 to 1984 for three teams: the Atlanta Falcons (ten years), the Detroit Lions (three games) and the Houston Oilers (three years). He reached the peak of his profession, being selected three times for the Pro Bowl, 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

Legend :
| | Led the league |
| Bold | Career high |

### Regular season

| Year | Team | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting |
| Year | Team | GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB |
| 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 | 96 | 3,891 | 3,093 | 65 | 40.5 | 31.9 | 1 | - | 7 |
| 1975 | ATL | 14 | 89 | 3,696 | 3,047 | 75 | 41.5 | 33.9 | 1 | - | 13 |
| 1976 | ATL | 14 | 101 | 4,253 | 3,653 | 67 | 42.1 | 36.2 | 0 | 28 | 12 |
| 1977 | ATL | 14 | 105 | 4,349 | 3,570 | 61 | 41.4 | 34.0 | 0 | 19 | 13 |
| 1978 | ATL | 16 | 109 | 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 |
| 1982 | DET | 2 | 12 | 481 | 404 | 50 | 40.1 | 33.7 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 1982 | 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 |
| Career | Career | 187 | 1,083 | 43,992 | 37,194 | 75 | 40.6 | 34.2 | 6 | 160 | 95 |

### Playoffs

| Year | Team | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting |
| Year | Team | GP | Punts | Yds | Net Yds | Lng | Avg | Net Avg | Blk | Ins20 | TB |
| 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 |
| Career | 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.