Roland Orlando James (born February 18, 1958) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11 year career for the New England Patriots of 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) during the 1980s and early 1990s. James played college football for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

, earning All-American honors. He was selected in the first round of 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 Sh ...

College career

James attended the University of Tennessee, and played for the

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862� ...

team from 1976 to 1979. As of 2011, James has the fourth longest punt return in the history of the University of Tennessee, an 89-yard return against Vanderbilt in 1979. While at Tennessee, Roland played in three bowl games: the

Hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song ( mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visua ...

, Senior and Bluebonnet bowls.

Professional career

James had the longest punt return in the NFL during the 1980 season. He returned a punt 75 yards for a TD in the Patriots 34–21 win over the New York Jets at

Schaefer Stadium Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Pa ...

on November 2. James recorded five sacks in 1981. He intercepted a pass by

David Woodley David Eugene Woodley (October 25, 1958 – May 4, 2003) was an American football player, a quarterback in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins (1980–1983), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1984–1985). He played college football ...

on the last play of the Patriots 3-0 "Snow Plow" victory over the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

on December 12, 1982. James intercepted three passes by

Joe Ferguson Joseph Carlton Ferguson Jr. (born April 23, 1950) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Arkansas. Early year ...

in the third quarter of the Patriots 31–0 shutout of the Buffalo Bills at

Rich Stadium Highmark Stadium is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, in the Southtowns of the Buffalo metropolitan area. The stadium opened in 1973 as Rich Stadium and is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). It was ...

on 10-23-83, becoming the first player in club history to record three interceptions in the same quarter. He tackled

Frank Middleton Frank Middleton Jr. (born October 25, 1974) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive guard for eight seasons in the NFL during the 1990s and early 2000s. Middleton played college football for the Fort ...

for a safety in the Patriots 50–17 rout of the Indianapolis Colts on November 18, 1984. James recovered 10 fumbles during the regular season and recovered a fumble by

Freeman McNeil Freeman McNeil (born April 22, 1959) is a former professional American football player. He was selected by the New York Jets in the first round as the third overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft. Early life McNeil was born in Jackson, Mississippi. ...

in the Patriots 26-14 AFC Playoff Game win over the NY Jets on December 28, 1985. He had 29 interceptions and 42 punt returns in 145 regular season games for the New England Patriots. James played in five playoff games for the New England Patriots.

Post-playing career

James went on to coach the

Sharon High School Sharon High School (SHS) is a public high school serving the residents of the town of Sharon, Massachusetts, United States. It serves grades 9 to 12, and is a part of Sharon Public Schools district. The building is located at 181 Pond Street, less ...

football team in

Sharon, Massachusetts Sharon is a New England town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,575 at the 2020 census. Sharon is part of Greater Boston, about southwest of downtown Boston, and is connected to both Boston and Providence by ...

. His son, Roland James Jr., played for Hofstra. His son, Roman, played free safety at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

. He currently resides in Sharon, Massachusetts and is working as the Director of Youth Services at the Somerville Community Youth Program in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area o ...

, and is active in other charitable work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Roland 1958 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties New England Patriots players All-American college football players Tennessee Volunteers football players High school football coaches in Massachusetts People from Jamestown, Ohio Sportspeople from Xenia, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio