James E. Breland, Jr. (born 1944) is a former American football player who was an All-American

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Program represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Competitors in the sport of American football. The Yellow Jackets college football team competes in the NCAA Div ...

team of the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. Breland initially attended the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in Annapolis, Maryland, where he played

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the

Navy Midshipmen football The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) college football. The Naval Academy completed its final season as an FBS independent school (not in a conference) i ...

team as a sophomore in 1963.Associated Press,
Bobby Dodd Heaps Praise on Breland
" ''The Lewiston Daily Sun'', p. 11 (October 25, 1966). Retrieved August 16, 2014. As a member of the Midshipmen's football team led by quarterback

Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...

, he played in the

1964 Cotton Bowl Classic The 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 28th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1963–64 bowl game season, the game was a de facto national championship g ...

. After his sophomore season, Breland transferred to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, and sat out the 1964 season as required by NCAA transfer rules. He was a two-year starter at center for coach

Bobby Dodd Robert Lee Dodd (November 11, 1908 – June 21, 1988) was an American college football player and coach, college baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, compil ...

's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1965 to 1966. As a junior in 1965, he was a key member of the Yellow Jackets team than compiled a 7–3–1 record, and defeated the

Texas Tech Red Raiders The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders, while the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raide ...

31–21 in the December 1965

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...

.
2013 Georgia Tech Football Information Guide
', Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 170, 172, 178, 179, 184, 197 (2013). Retrieved August 16, 2014. He was a team captain during the team's 1966 season when the Yellow Jackets finished 9–2 and received an invitation to the January 1967

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...

. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American following his senior season, when he was a first-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, Central Press Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.''2014 NCAA Football Records Book''
Award Winners
, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 3, 7, 14, 48 (2014). Retrieved August 16, 2014.Ted Smits,
Irish, Spartans Place 3 on AP All-America
" ''Reading Eagle'', p. 44 (December 8, 1966). Retrieved August 16, 2014. Breland was honored as an

Academic All-American The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are giv ...

in 1966, graduated from Georgia Tech with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1967, and was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. At the end of his final season as Georgia Tech's long-time football coach in 1966, Bobby Dodd called Breland "the best offensive center I've ever had at Tech."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breland, Jim 1944 births Living people All-American college football players American civil engineers American football centers Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Navy Midshipmen football players People from Blacksburg, Virginia Engineers from Virginia

See also

References