James Chester Elmer (January 21, 1882 – April 30, 1920) was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and once sheriff of Harrison County, Mississippi.

Auburn University

He was a prominent

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

and center for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

Alabama Polytechnic Institute Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

. The yearbook remarks "The student body thinks "Jimmy Bigs" Elmer is the laziest man in college. immy, when you show this to Papa, tell him that "Large bodies move slowly."

1902

He was selected All-Southern in

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

. Tradition dictates many publications list Elmer as the school's first All-Southern selection despite the success in 1899 of

Arthur Feagin Arthur Henry Feagin (March 7, 1878 – March 25, 1932) was a college football player. Auburn University Feagin was a prominent halfback for John Heisman's Auburn Tigers football teams of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. At Auburn he was a ...

. A report of the 6 to 0 loss to

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

reads "Elmer, of Auburn, was the star of the game, his work in the line being remarkable."

University of Virginia

He attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

for a year.

Ole Miss

He continued his legal studies at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

1906

In the Egg Bowl of

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

, Elmer's kicking accounted for 13 points in a 29 to 5 rout. Elmer also caught the first

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

in the history of that rivalry. He was elected All-Southern by former Tennessee player

Nash Buckingham Theophilus Nash Buckingham (May 31, 1880 – March 10, 1971), commonly referred to as Nash Buckingham, was an American author and conservationist from Tennessee. He is perhaps most famous for writing a collection of short stories entitled De Sh ...

in the '' Memphis Commercial Appeal''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmer, James 1882 births 1920 deaths American football guards American football placekickers Auburn Tigers football players Ole Miss Rebels football players Virginia Cavaliers football players All-Southern college football players Sportspeople from Biloxi, Mississippi American football centers Players of American football from Mississippi