James Joseph Sweeney (August 8, 1962 – October 1, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a

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 eccentrici ...

and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for 16 seasons 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). After his playing career, he became an assistant coach.

Early life and college career

Sweeney was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

and attended

Seton-La Salle Catholic High School Seton LaSalle Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. In 2016, under the direction of former sc ...

in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. At the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, he played all five

offensive line 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 numb ...

positions and

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. Lik ...

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

from 1980 to 1983, including two seasons as starter. As a senior in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, he played at center and guard, and he won second-team All-American honors from ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

''. Sweeney graduated from Pittsburgh in 1984 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and administration of justice.

Professional playing career

The New York Jets selected Sweeney in the second round, with the 37th overall selection in the 1984 NFL Draft. Sweeney played for the Jets from 1984 to 1994. With the Jets, he played in ten games with two starts as a rookie in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. That year he was selected as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, he started all 16 games at left guard. In 1986 and 1987, Sweeney was the starting left tackle. From 1988 to 1994, he started at center for the Jets. The Jets released Sweeney in March 1995. Sweeney signed a three-year contract for $2.8 million with the Seattle Seahawks. In

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, Sweeney started all 16 games at center. He played the final four seasons of his career with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers from 1996 to 1999, this time mostly off the bench with one start each in 1997 and 1998.

Coaching career

From 2000 to 2002, Sweeney was the offensive line coach at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

under head coach

Greg Gattuso Gregory Gattuso (born May 18, 1962) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at the University at Albany, taking over from long-time head coach Bob Ford. He was formerly the defensive line coach at the Uni ...

. He later coached at the high school level in the Pittsburgh area, first with

Peters Township High School Peters Township High School is a public high school that is located in McMurray, Pennsylvania, United States. The current building was built in 2021. This new building was constructed just up the road from the old school, and was constructed at a c ...

in McMurray as offensive line coach from 2003 to 2006. He then served as offensive line coach for South Fayette High School from 2007 to 2010, where he was part of the 2010

Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. History The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...

championship team. In 2010, Sweeney worked for the Arizona Cardinals coaching the offensive line during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

as a temporary fill-in for

Russ Grimm Russell Scott Grimm (born May 2, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He has also served as an assistant coach for the Redskins, Pittsburgh St ...

. In 2011, he participated in the NFL and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

coaching internship program at

Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

. He was offensive line consultant for the

Pittsburgh Power The Pittsburgh Power were a professional arena football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The team belonged to the East Division of the American Conference (AC) in the Arena Football League (AFL). Founded in 2011, the Power ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

in 2013. On January 14, 2014, Sweeney became offensive line coach at

SUNY Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a Public university, public research university with campuses in Albany, New York, Albany, Rensselaer, New York, Rensselae ...

, in his second coaching job under Greg Gattuso. After the 2021 season, Albany opted not to renew Sweeney's contract.

Personal life and death

Sweeney died on October 1, 2022, at age 60.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweeney, Jim 1962 births 2022 deaths American football centers American football offensive guards New York Jets players Seattle Seahawks players Pittsburgh Panthers football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Sportspeople from Pittsburgh Players of American football from Pittsburgh High school football coaches in Pennsylvania Duquesne Dukes football coaches Albany Great Danes football coaches American football offensive tackles Ed Block Courage Award recipients