James F. Worden (May 16, 1942 – February 25, 2007) was a tight end in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 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 ...

at Wittenberg University.

Early years

Worden attended

Clearview High School Clearview High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Lorain, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Clearview Local School District, one of five school districts serving the city of Lorain and all of Sheffield Township, Ohio. Clearvi ...

, where he played as a linebacker and

offensive end An end in American and Canadian football is a player who lines up at either end of the line of scrimmage, usually beside the tackles. Rules state that a legal offensive formation must always consist of seven players on the line of scrimmage a ...

, while helping his team win a championship in 1959 and earning Lakeland Conference honors. He moved on to Division III Wittenberg College, where he played as an offensive and defensive end. He was a member of teams that had a combined record of 33-2-1 and won three Ohio Athletic Conference championships under head coach Bill Edwards. He was twice selected All-OAC and was the top vote getter on the All-league team as a junior. In 1988, he was inducted into the Wittenberg University Athletics Hall of Honor.

Professional career

Worden was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 14th round (185th overall) of the

1964 NFL Draft The 1964 National Football League draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL dra ...

. He was waived before the start of the season. In 1964, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He played as a tight end and was also known as a great blocker, helping

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

George Reed being named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 1965. In 1966, he made a career-high 28 receptions for 462 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the 29-14

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

win against the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

, he was the leading receiver with 3 receptions for 48 yards, including a six-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. He also played in the

1967 Grey Cup The 55th Grey Cup was played between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Saskatchewan Roughriders on December 2, 1967, at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, before 31,358 fans and was won by the Tiger-Cats by a score of 24–1. Box Score First Quarter H ...

. Worden finished his career with 97 receptions for 1,789 yards, an 18.4 yards per catch average and 11 touchdowns. In 1996, he was inducted into the Roughriders Plaza of Honor.

Personal life

After football he returned to the Cleveland area, where he was a high school teacher at Columbia High School, before working in highway construction as a member of the Laborers Union Local 758 until his retirement in 1998. His father James played in the

NFL 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 major ...

for the Cleveland Rams in 1945. His brother Dirk was a captain of the 1968 Ohio State University Football National Championship team, coached by Woody Hayes. On February 25, 2007, Worden died of a heart attack after a period of declining health.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worden, James 1942 births 2007 deaths People from Lorain, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Canadian football tight ends Wittenberg Tigers football players Saskatchewan Roughriders players