James Robert Doran (August 11, 1927 – June 30, 1994) was a

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) wide receiver for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

(1951–1959) and the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

(1960–1961). He played

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 ...

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. He was a two-way player, playing both on offense and defense. He played 94 games as a defensive lineman, usually

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 formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

, and 115 games as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

Early years

Because of the small size of Beaver High School, it had no football program, so Doran practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. As a High School basketball player, Doran once scored 36 of the 38 total points scored by his team in a single contest. On the baseball diamond Doran possessed prolific home run power as a switch hitter while playing the catcher position. Against Rippey High School as senior, Doran belted 3 home runs, 2 as a right handed hitter and 1 as a lefty. His first exposure to the sport of football was at

Buena Vista College Buena Vista University is a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa. Founded in 1891 as Buena Vista College, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university's campus is situated on the shores of Storm Lake, a natural lake. At i ...

in the fall of 1947, on the "B" team, joining after a short stint in the navy during World War II. He played

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

despite being a relative lightweight at 190 pounds. Doran transferred to

in 1947, joining the

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

team as a sprinter, high jumper and shot putter. Doran had his 1948 football season end in the season opener with a broken right ankle. In 1949, he helped the team post a 5–3–1 record, the school's first winning football season in a span of 14 years, and being named to the All-Big Seven team at offensive end, with 689 yards on 34 catches, breaking the single-season Big Seven receiving mark by over 200 yards. He also set a national college record against the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

by catching eight passes for 203 yards, a mark that remains unbroken in the

record book. In 1950, his 652 yards on 42 receptions and six

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s as a senior, earned him first-team All-American and All-Big Seven honors. He was the Cyclone's only football All-American in two decades, and more recently he was voted to the modern All-time All-Big Eight team. Doran closed out his Cyclone career owning virtually every Iowa State and Big Seven receiving mark. He also played in the

Hula Bowl The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida. The game was first st ...

and

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

in 1951. In 1997, he was inducted into the Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. In 1983, he was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame, despite never playing

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

. Doran was deemed an "outstanding example for the young men of the state of Iowa".

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Doran was selected by the

in the fifth round (55th overall) of the

1951 NFL Draft The 1951 National Football League Draft was held January 18–19, 1951, at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season, and the NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft. This was the fifth year that th ...

. He became a starter as a rookie at

. He also was used on the offensive side, registering 10 receptions, 225 receiving yards, a 22.5-yard average (fourth in the league) and 2

s. In

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

, he was voted the most valuable player on a Lions team that won the

1952 NFL Championship Game The 1952 NFL Championship Game was the 20th annual championship game, held on December 28 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Detroit Lions (9–3) were the National Conference champions and met the Cleveland Browns (8–4), ...

. His teammates nicknamed him the Graham Cracker, because of his ferocious rushing of

Otto Graham Otto Everett Graham Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Graha ...

as a defensive end, in all of the Detroit-Cleveland games he played in. In

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

, he started playing both offense and defense because of injuries to teammates. The biggest play of his pro career occurred in the

1953 NFL Championship Game The 1953 NFL Championship Game was the 21st annual championship game, held on December 27 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The defending NFL champion Detroit Lions (10–2) of the Western Conference were led by quarterback Bobby Layne and running ...

, when he caught a 33-yard

pass, that pulled out a 17–16 victory. Doran kept playing the offensive end position and led the Lions in receiving in

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

. After the 1959 season, because of his age, the Lions left him off their list of players who were exempt from the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft.

Dallas Cowboys

Doran was selected by the

in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. He was converted into a

at 33 years of age, becoming the first starter at that position in franchise history, while registering 31 catches (led the team) for 554 yards (led the team) and 3

s. At the end of the season, he had the distinction of becoming the Cowboys’ first

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

player in franchise history, and also scoring the Cowboys' first touchdown in franchise history, a 75-yard pass from

Eddie LeBaron Edward Wayne LeBaron Jr. (January 7, 1930 – April 1, 2015) was a Korean War veteran and an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the Col ...

against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on September 24,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. Doran started the franchise's legacy of

s that includes:

Dick Bielski Richard Adam Bielski (born September 7, 1932) is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Colts. Bielski played college ...

Lee Folkins Lloyd Leroy Folkins (born July 4, 1939) is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the University of Washi ...

Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka (born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. A member of both the College (1986) and the Pro (1988) Football Halls of Fame, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year i ...

Billy Joe Dupree Billy Joe DuPree (born March 7, 1950) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Michigan State University. Early years DuPree was born and raised in Monro ...

Jackie Smith Jackie Larue Smith (born February 23, 1940) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Northwestern Louisiana State College (Northwestern ...

Doug Cosbie Douglas Durant Cosbie (born March 27, 1956) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Santa Clara University. Cosbie has been a football coach for seve ...

Jay Novacek Jay McKinley Novacek (born October 24, 1962) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1985–1989) and the Dallas Cowboys (1990–1995). Novacek was a five-time Pro ...

and

Jason Witten Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Univers ...

. He was released after playing two seasons in Dallas and a total of 11 seasons in the NFL, compiling 212 receptions for 3,667 yards and 24

Denver Broncos

On July 22,

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

, Doran signed as a

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 ...

with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

, but his season ended after injuring his back during a victory against the

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...

and being placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on August 27.

Personal life

Doran rejoined his old Detroit Lions head coach,

Buddy Parker Raymond Klein "Buddy" Parker (December 16, 1913 – March 22, 1982) was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL), who served as head coach for the Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Pa ...

, as an assistant with the

for the 1964 and 1965 seasons. He returned to Iowa to farm after football. Two of his sons, Jim jr. and Lant Doran played football for Iowa State University. The father-sons combined for 9 varsity football letters at ISU, a record for the University. Jim died on June 29, 1994, of a heart attack.

References

External links

Iowa State Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doran, Jim 1927 births 1994 deaths People from Boone County, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa American football wide receivers Iowa State Cyclones football players Detroit Lions players Dallas Cowboys players Denver Broncos players Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players American Football League players