James J. Silva (born December 14, 1984) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2007. He was signed by the Colts as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2008.

Early life

Silva was born in East Providence, Rhode Island. He attended East Providence High School, and was a standout

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

player for the East Providence Townies.

College career

Silva attended

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, where he played for the

from 2003 to 2007. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2003. As a senior in 2007, Silva recorded 125

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

(82 unassisted) and eight

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s, being the only player in NCAA history to ever accomplish this. For this, he was named a consensus first-team

selection, as well as one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation's top

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He was also named the most valuable player of the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, in which the Eagles defeated the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

24-21; Silva gained 10 tackles and two interceptions. He played in the 2008 East/West Shrine game and was voted captain by his teammates. He majored in communications.

Professional career

Silva went undrafted in the 2008 NFL draft and was signed by the

as an

on May 2. He recorded seventeen tackles during the 2008 season. Silva was a member of the 2009 Indianapolis Colts. He served as a special team specialist as well as the second-string free safety. Silva recorded 32 tackles and deflected two passes in his second season, as well as four postseason tackles. Silva and the Colts advanced to

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

, where they faced the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. The Colts were defeated 31-17. During the first preseason game of 2010, Silva sustained a torn ACL, MCL and crushed knee joint, causing him to miss the rest of the year. Doctors never cleared Silva to play again. On July 26, 2011, the Colts surrendered the rights to Silva, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Personal life

Silva and his wife Theresa reside in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. They have four daughters and a son. Silva was an assistant coach on the Mt. Lebanon High School football team in the fall of 2016. He is also a cousin of USA Women’s Hockey player Kacey Bellamy.

References

External links

Boston College Eagles bio

Indianapolis Colts bioNFL Draft Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Jamie 1984 births Living people All-American college football players American people of Portuguese descent Sportspeople of Portuguese descent American football safeties Boston College Eagles football players People from East Providence, Rhode Island Players of American football from Providence County, Rhode Island Indianapolis Colts players High school football coaches in Pennsylvania