Gerry James

NFL player


DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1934|10|22
Birthplace= Winnipeg, Manitoba
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Position=Running back
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years=1952–1962
1964
teams=Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL)
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CFHOF=24&player=James,%20Gerry

Gerry James (born October 22, 1934) was a running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

A graduate of Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, he started his career in 1952, James became the youngest player ever to play in the CFL at only 17 years old. As a member of the Bombers' powerful run by committee system and as a kicker he helped the team to six Grey Cup appearances (1953, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, and 1962) with four victories (1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962). This committee system over the years included Lorne Benson, Tom Casey, Leo Lewis, and Charlie Shepard. During his career and won the league's award for Most Outstanding Canadian in 1954 and 1957. In the latter season he scored 19 touchdowns, one short of the year old league record set by Pat Abbruzzi of the Montreal Alouettes. Of the total 18 of them came while carrying the ball 197 times for 1192 yards. He played with the Blue Bombers until 1963 (and played in 1964 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders) and at the time of his retirement from the CFL he was the second all-time leading Canadian runningback behind only Normie Kwong with 994 carries for 5554 yards and 57 touchdowns. In his career James scored a total of 63 touchdowns and kicked 143 converts, 40 field goals and 21 singles. He also played professional hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs (from 1954 to 1960, 149 regular season games and 14 goals) during his career.

James was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1981 and into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1982. He was also selected as one of the Blue Bombers All-Time Greats. His father Eddie James also played for the Blue Bombers and also is inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

James was also a professional ice hockey right winger who played 149 games in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs over 5 seasons in the late 50s.

Awards & Achievements

*Memorial Cup Championship (1955)

External links

*hockeydb|2500
*legendsofhockey|13079
* [http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/honoured/1982/gJames.htm Gerry James’s biography] at [http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/ Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum]