Harry James ( American football ) John Henry " Harry " James ( June 20 , 1881 - October 16 , 1947 ) was an American football quarterback and manufacturer . He was the starting quarterback for Michigan ' s undefeated , national championship 1903 " Point - a - Minute " football team that outscored opponents 565 to 6 . James later went into the manufacturing business . He was the founder of The Motor Foundry Co . , a manufacturer of automobile parts in Detroit , and the James Motor Valve Company , which developed the innovative " James Valve " in the mid - 1920s . He also served as the general manager of the Monarch Steel Castings Co . , an innovator in the Solvay process . Early years . James was born in Ohio in 1881 . He was raised in Detroit and attended the Detroit University School . He was the captain of the school ' s football team during the 1900 - 1901 academic year . He was also captain of the track team during the 1899 - 1900 and 1900 - 1901 academic years . University of Michigan . He enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1901 . He was captain of the All - Freshman football team in 1901 and of the reserve football team in 1902 . In 1903 , and despite weighing only 142 pounds , James took over as the Wolverines ' starting quarterback . At the start of the 1903 season , expectations were low , as the team had lost most of its starters , including the two leading scorers and starting quarterback Boss Weeks . With only eight veterans returning , team captain Curtis Redden wrote that " [ n ] o season in the history of Michigan football has opened with a gloomier outlook " than that of 1903 . Despite the low expectations , James led the 1903 team to an 11 - 0 - 1 record while outscoring opponents 565 to 6 . The 1903 team was the third of Fielding H . Yost ' s legendary " Point - a - Minute " teams and has been recognized retrospectively as a national championship team for 1903 by the National Championship Foundation . The season was not without its challenges for James . Before a key game against Wisconsin , rumors spread that Yost was considering replacing James with Fred Norcross . At a rally the night before the Wisconsin game , Yost was asked directly whether he would keep James , whose wrist was bound in a splint , at quarterback . Yost replied succinctly , " Yes . He is the better player . " Michigan defeated Wisconsin 16 - 0 , but the team had difficulty reaching Wisconsin ' s goal and relied on Tom Hammond to kick two field goals . On Hammond ' s first kick , the snap to James was high , but he was credited with pulling it in and placing it accurately to allow Hammond to convert the kick for a 5 - 0 lead . Before the final game of the season , the Thanksgiving Day rivalry game with Amos Alonzo Stagg ' s Chicago Maroons , rumors returned that Yost might replace James with Norcross . The night before the game , Yost revealed that James had won the quarterback job over Norcross . James started and played the entire Chicago game , leading the team to a 28 - 0 victory . After the game , Yost said the team ' s play against Chicago was " the best he had ever seen by a Michigan team during his three years here . " The " Detroit Free Press " called it " the most severe drubbing ever administered to the Maroons in the history of football of that institution . " The Wolverines compiled a perfect record with James at quarterback . The team ' s sole setback during the 1903 season was a 6 - 6 tie on the road against Minnesota . James did not appear in the Minnesota game , as Yost played Norcross at quarterback for the entire game . In its overview of the 1903 season , " The Michigan Alumnus " praised James : " James ' s work at quarter merits praise . It was a difficult task to set any man - - that of filling the key position in the team acceptable to those who were demanding another Weeks . James kept pluckily at his work , unmindful of adverse criticism , and in the culmination of the season , his generalship and backfield tackling were first - rate . " James graduated from Michigan in 1905 with an engineering degree . While attending the university , he was a member of the Vulcans , the Friars , Zeta Psi fraternity , and the Wrinkle Board and a member of the Executive Committee of the Michigan Union . Family and later years . James married Mary Jane Brown on November 20 , 1907 , in Detroit . His father - in - law , Robert H . Brown , was one of the principals of Brown Brothers Tobacco Company . In 1910 , James and his wife had a daughter , Jane Elizabeth . At time of the 1910 Census , he was living with his wife Mary , his mother - in - law , infant daughter Jane E . ( 5 months ) , and a servant at the Brown house at 709 Cass Avenue in Detroit . James was employed in 1910 as the manager at a foundry . In 1911 , James founded The Motor Foundry Co . in Detroit to manufacture iron and steel castings . He incorporated with two partners and capital of $ 35 , 000 . The company built a large foundry in Detroit at a cost of $ 18 , 000 . The company specialized in manufacturing gray iron automobile parts . By April 1913 , the company increased its capital to $ 100 , 000 and announced plans to expand its plant and erect additional buildings . The company employed 265 men and did casting business of 40 - 50 tons a day . With the expansion , capacity was to be raised to 80 tons a day . In a draft registration card completed in September 1918 , James indicated that he was living with his wife , Mary Brown James , at 69 Taylor Street in Detroit . He was employed at the time as the general manager of the Monarch Steel Castings Co . at 316 Solvay in Detroit . At the time of the 1920 Census was still living at 69 Taylor Street in Detroit with his wife , Mary , daughter Betty ( age 9 ) , son Dick ( age 5 ) , his mother - in - law and a servant . He was then employed as a foundry manager . In the early 1920s , James founded the James Motor Valve Company in Detroit . In 1926 , his company gained notoriety for its development of an innovative valve , known as the James Valve , that was immune to heat , warping , burning or pitting as a result of its hollow - head construction . The valve was first tested in 1923 . James later moved his company to Marine City , Michigan , and established his residence at St . Clair , Michigan . He remained the president of the James Motor Valve Company until his death . In October 1947 , James died at his home in St . Clair at age 66 . He was survived by his wife , a son , and a daughter .