James M. Pyne (born 23 November 1971) is an American businessman and former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who is the co-founder of
Wheels Up
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...
. He has also served as the chief partnership officer of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
.
As a former American college and professional football player, Pyne played as an
offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
in the
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) for nine seasons. He also 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 ...
for
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 earned
All-American honors. Drafted by the Buccaneers, Pyne became a reliable starter for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
,
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 ...
,
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
and
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
of the NFL. After playing in the NFL, Pyne became an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2003 to 2004 and for the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
in 2005.
Early life and education
Pyne was born in
Milford, Massachusetts
Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,379 according to the 2020 census. First settled in 1662 and incorporated in 1780, Milford became a booming industrial and quarrying community in the 19th c ...
.
[National Football League, Historical Players]
Jim Pyne
Retrieved February 10, 2012. He attended
Milford High School and
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private high ...
in
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...
, and played
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 ...
for the Milford Scarlet Hawks and the Choate Judges.
[databaseFootball.com, Players]
Jim Pyne
. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
Career
College football
Pyne attended
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...
, and played for the
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
team from 1990 to 1993. As a senior in 1993, he was selected as a unanimous All-American, becoming Virginia Tech's first player ever to do so,
and was also awarded the
Dudley Award The Dudley Award, named after former Virginia running back Bill Dudley, is presented annually by the ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' to honor the top NCAA football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of ...
, which is given to the
Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...
's outstanding player of the year. He was a finalist for both the
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lombar ...
and the
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
.
Virginia Tech retired his number 73; it is one of only four football numbers retired by the school in over hundred years of football. He was named to the
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...
s All-time team at the turn of the century. The offensive line meeting room at Virginia Tech has been named in his honor. He was also inducted to
Virginia Tech's Sports Hall of Fame.
He later was named a legend of the ACC.
Professional football
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Pyne in seventh round (200th pick overall) in the
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 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 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Mar ...
, and he played four of his nine professional seasons with the Buccaneers as a left guard, starting in 38 of his 42 appearances from 1995 to 1997.
[Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players]
Jim Pyne
Retrieved February 10, 2012.
In 1998, he went to Detroit to play with the Lions and started 16 games at center.
In 1999, he became the first overall pick of the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
in the
1999 expansion draft. In Cleveland he was a starter for two seasons at left guard before injuring his knee. He was named the team MVP by the Akron Browns backers and named the team's top offensive lineman by the touchdown club. He was also elected team captain while with the Browns. He was named three times to Muscle and Fitnesses' NFL all strength team. He finished his career with the
NFC East
The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys ...
division champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2001.
[
]
Personal life
Pyne's father, George Pyne III, played for the Boston Patriots
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...
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. ...
in 1965. Pyne's grandfather, George Pyne II, played for the Providence Steam Roller
The Providence Steam Rollers (also referred to as the Providence Steam Roller, the Providence Steamroller and the Providence Steamrollers) were a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football Leagu ...
of the NFL in 1931. The Pynes became the first family to play three generations of professional football.
His brother, George Pyne George Pyne may refer to:
* George Pyne (Medal of Honor) (1841–?), English Medal of Honor recipient
* George Pyne II (1909–1974), American football player
* George Pyne III (1941–2015), American football player
* George Pyne (business execut ...
, has played football at Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
and is a businessman.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyne, Jim
1971 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football offensive linemen
Cleveland Browns players
Detroit Lions players
New Orleans Saints players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Virginia Tech Hokies football players