Jim Bunch (born March 10, 1956) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and businessman. He played

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

for the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

Crimson Tide from 1976 through 1979 and was a member of the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

teams and a consensus selection to the

1979 College Football All-America Team The 1979 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1979. The National Collegiate Athletic Asso ...

. After his collegiate career, Bunch played one season as a

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...

with the West Virginia Rockets. After his playing career ended, Bunch entered the hospitality business. Presently Bunch serves as an

innkeeper Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accomm ...

Winston Place Winston Place (7 December 1914 − 25 January 2002) was an English cricketer who played in three Tests in 1948. An opening batsman for Lancashire, he shared a prolific partnership with Cyril Washbrook and was part of the county championship wi ...

, a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Valley Head, Alabama Valley Head is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. Although the town incorporated in 1921, it was also listed as being incorporated on the 1890 U.S. Census. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the p ...

Early life

As a native of

Mechanicsville, Virginia Mechanicsville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. The population was 36,348 during the 2010 census, up from 30,464 at the 2000 census. History The area was settled by English ...

, Bunch played offensive guard for the

Mechanicsville High School Mechanicsville High School (formerly Lee-Davis High School) is a public high school located in Mechanicsville, Virginia, United States. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is part of Hanover County Public Schools. History Mechanicsvill ...

football team as a youth. From there, Bunch then enrolled at

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

where he was recruited initially by

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

and

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

. Alabama later offered him an opportunity to play with the Crimson Tide only after Alabama assistant coach Ken Donahue noticed Bunch on film that he was viewing for a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

that he was recruiting at that time.

Playing career

Bunch entered the Alabama starting lineup in the third game of the 1976 season against Vanderbilt. He was the only freshman to start during the season and was recognized as First Team Freshman All-SEC for his efforts. Bunch remained as a fixture in the Crimson Tide offensive line over the next three seasons alongside

Buddy Aydelette William Leslie "Buddy" Aydelette (born August 19, 1956) is a former American football guard. He began his career with the Green Bay Packers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Packers in the 7th round (169th overall) of the 1980 NFL Draft. He w ...

, Vince Boothe, Mike Brock and

Dwight Stephenson Dwight Eugene Stephenson (born November 20, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the Alabama Crim ...

and helped lead Alabama to an overall record of 43 wins and 5 losses (43–5) during his career at the Capstone. In recognition for his play during his sophomore and junior years, Bunch was a First Team All-SEC selection. After his senior year, Bunch was named First Team All-SEC and as a consensus selection to the

and was awarded the Douglas MacArthur Trophy in early 1980 in recognition for his achievements as a Virginia athlete outside the commonwealth. In recognition of his accomplishments as a student athlete, the Virginia state legislature passed a resolution that declared February 2, 1980, as "Jim Bunch Day." Although he was a consensus selection to the All-America Team, Bunch went undrafted and was not signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

after the

1980 NFL Draft The 1980 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980, at the New York She ...

. He was left unsigned due to NFL teams believing he was too short to be competitive as an offensive lineman as a professional. As such, Bunch then played a single season as a

with the West Virginia Rockets.

Later life

After the completion of his playing career, Bunch returned to Alabama where he served as a

graduate assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research respons ...

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

's staff for the 1980 season. After he completed his graduate degree, Bunch then worked for Quincy's Family Steakhouses for 25 years until his retirement in 2005. Bunch now is an innkeeper at the

, a

along with his wife Leslie.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunch, Jim 1956 births Living people American football offensive guards American restaurateurs Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches Alabama Crimson Tide football players All-American college football players People from Mechanicsville, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia