James Antwane Cotton (born November 7, 1976) is a former American and

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

, who played in both the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) and

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). James Cotton was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States to James Graham and Catherine Cotton. He lettered in football, basketball, baseball at Collinwood High School. Cotton earned all-state honours in football and baseball and All-American honours in football. Cotton is the founder of the Buck-Icon Foundation. Its mission is to provide resources for former members of the Ohio State football program to enhance their careers on a variety of different levels and provide programs that will help them transition into professional life in Corporate America, Athletics, Society, and the Community. Cotton received an Associate of Arts degree from City College of San Francisco and The Ohio State University awarded him a bachelor's degree in Sociology. As a Junior, Cotton was an instrumental part of the Buckeyes Big Ten Championship and Sugar Bowl Victory over Texas A&M in 1998. During his senior season in 1999, Cotton was voted by his coaches as the team's Most Outstanding Lineman by leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss. "My most memorable moment was being the last player sack Tom Brady Twice in the Big House". In 2000, Cotton was drafted in the NFL by the Chicago Bears and played one year of professional football with no game action or career stats in the NFL. He had stops in Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and the Canadian Football League (2001 Grey Cup Champion). A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Cotton is the father of his daughters, Kierra Cotton and Veronica Snyder.

References

External links

James Cotton's biography from Tiger-CatsBuck-Icon Foundationsotl.com
* Living people 1976 births Players of American football from Cleveland American football defensive ends Ohio State Buckeyes football players New York/New Jersey Hitmen players Calgary Stampeders players Buffalo Bills players Atlanta Falcons players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Players of Canadian football from Cleveland {{Canadianfootball-defensive-lineman-stub