William Nelson James (November 14, 1897 – September 15, 1969) was an American
college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at
Trinity University in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
from 1949 to 1951, compiling a record of 15–14–3.
Early life and college playing career
James was born on November 14, 1897 in
Watauga, Texas
Watauga () is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 23,497 at the 2010 census. The city's businesses and retail markets are generally located on Highway 377.
Geography
Watauga is locate ...
. After graduating from North Side High School in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
, he went to
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...
with former coach
Robert L. Myers joining up with the likes of high school teammates
Matty Bell
William Madison "Matty" Bell (February 22, 1899 – June 30, 1983) was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. He played for Centre, captain of its 1918 team. He served as the head footbal ...
, Bob Mathias, and
Sully Montgomery.
Bo McMillin
Alvin Nugent "Bo" McMillin (January 12, 1895 – March 31, 1952) was an American football player and coach at the collegiate and professional level. He played college football at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where he was a three-tim ...
and
Red Weaver
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
played for North Side as well, but did not have enough credits to yet go to college. They went to Somerset High in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, where they met up with
Red Roberts
:''This is an article about the baseball player. For the college football coach, see Red Roberts (American football).''
Charles Emory "Red" Roberts (August 8, 1918 – December 2, 1998) was a Major League Baseball player. Roberts played for ...
and were recruited by boosters to Centre. The 1917 team ostensibly did so well that Myers felt his players were better than his coaching abilities, and hired
Charley Moran
Charles Barthell Moran (February 22, 1878 – June 14, 1949), nicknamed "Uncle Charley", was an American sportsman who gained renown as both a catcher and umpire in Major League Baseball and as a collegiate and professional American football coa ...
. James was thrice an
All-Southern tackle and
end
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
** End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron footbal ...
. He started at end in the
1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game.
Coaching career
James was an assistant for the
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...
.
James was the head football coach at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
from 1949 to 1951.
Late life and death
James retired from coaching in 1952. He continued as owner of Camp Stewart, a boys' summer camp in
Hunt, Texas
Hunt is an unincorporated community in western Kerr County, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 2 ...
, which he had owned since 1929. James died on September 15, 1969, at Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital in
Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...
, following an illness.
Head coaching record
College
References
External links
*
1897 births
1969 deaths
American football ends
American football tackles
Centre Colonels football players
Texas A&M Aggies football coaches
All-Southern college football players
Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas
Coaches of American football from Texas
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