James M. Pyne (born November 23, 1971) 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. He played as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

and center for nine seasons in 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 is the co-founder of

Wheels Up Wheels Up is a provider of "on demand" private aviation in the United States and one of the largest private aviation companies in the world. It was founded in 2013 by Kenny Dichter, using a membership/on-demand business model. Wheels Up members ...

and has also served as the chief partnership officer of the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. Pyne 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

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, and earned

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. Selected by Tampa Bay in the seventh round of the

1994 NFL draft The 1994 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 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Ma ...

, he became a reliable starter for the Buccaneers,

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. After playing in the NFL, Pyne became an assistant coach for the Buccaneers from 2003 to 2004 and for 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 ...

in 2005.

Early life and education

Pyne was born in

Milford, Massachusetts Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,379 according to the 2020 census. First settled in 1662 and incorporated in 1780, Milford became a booming industrial and quarrying community in the 19th ...

.National Football League, Historical Players
Jim Pyne
Retrieved February 10, 2012. He attended Milford High School and

Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall ( ) is a Independent school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1890, it took its present na ...

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The town is part ...

, and played

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 ...

for the Milford Scarlet Hawks and the Choate Judges.databaseFootball.com, Players, . Retrieved February 10, 2012.

Career

College football

Pyne attended

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, and played for the

Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of th ...

team from 1990 to 1993. As a senior in 1993, he was selected as a unanimous All-American, becoming Virginia Tech's first player ever to do so, and was also awarded the

Dudley Award The Dudley Award, named after former Virginia Cavaliers running back Bill Dudley, is presented annually by the ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' to honor the top college football player in Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virgin ...

, which is given to the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

's outstanding player of the year. He was a finalist for both the

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lombard ...

and the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best 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 g ...

. Virginia Tech retired his number 73; it is one of only four football numbers retired by the school in over hundred years of football. He was named to the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

s All-time team at the turn of the century. The offensive line meeting room at Virginia Tech has been named in his honor. He was also inducted to Virginia Tech's Sports Hall of Fame. He later was named a legend of the ACC.

Professional football

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Pyne in seventh round (200th pick overall) in the

. He played four of his nine professional seasons with the Buccaneers as a left guard, starting in 38 of his 42 appearances from 1995 to 1997. In 1998, he went to Detroit to play with the Lions and started 16 games at center. In 1999, he became the first overall pick of the

in the 1999 expansion draft. In Cleveland he was a starter for two seasons at left guard before injuring his knee. He was named the team MVP by the Akron Browns backers and named the team's top offensive lineman by the touchdown club. He was also elected team captain while with the Browns. He was named three times to Muscle and Fitnesses' NFL all strength team. He finished his career with the

NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It has four members: the Dallas Cowboys, New Yo ...

division champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2001.

Personal life

Pyne's father, George Pyne III, played for the

Boston Patriots Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

in 1965. Pyne's grandfather, George Pyne II, played for the Providence Steam Roller of the NFL in 1931. The Pynes became the first family to play three generations of professional football. His brother, George Pyne, has played football at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and is a businessman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyne, Jim 1971 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive guards American football centers Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players New Orleans Saints players Philadelphia Eagles players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Virginia Tech Hokies football players