High School:  Ponderosa
College:  Sacramento City, Tulane

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* NFL Playing Career:  8 Years (New Orleans, Green Bay)

* NFL Coaching Career:  20 Years (Green Bay, Cleveland, Los Angeles Chargers, 

     Houston, Carolina)

​* Super Bowl Champion (XLV)

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While attending Ponderosa High School, James was an All-League and All-Metro  selection his junior and senior year as an offensive lineman.  He was named to the “All-Decade Team” for the 1980’s for the Sacramento region.

 

He went to Sacramento City College before receiving a scholarship to play at Tulane University.  After going undrafted out of college, James was signed by the New Orleans Saints as a center.  After three seasons there, he found a home with the Green Bay Packers.  He spent five seasons with the Packers as their center and ended up staying the majority of his life in northeast Wisconsin where he still lives.

 

After his playing days, he went back to Shingle Springs to coach at his alma mater. He coached for 10 years from 1994 -2004 and was the Head Football Coach at Ponderosa for five of those seasons. He returned to Green Bay in 2004 and became a coach with the Packers guiding the offensive line for the next 11 seasons. During that time the Packers were known for having tremendous offensive lines. He coached seven Pro Bowl linemen during his tenure there.  

 

James left the Packers in 2019 to become associate head coach/offensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns. The following year, he coached the offensive line for the Los Angeles Chargers and in 2021 he was the offensive line coach for the Houston Texans. He is currently with the Carolina Panthers in that same capacity.