Sean James (born March 15, 1969) is an American activist and former
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 signed as a rookie free agent with the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
(1991–1992). Sean is the cousin of father and son
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
players
Cecil Fielder and
Prince Fielder. In June 2012, James created Be In The Know About Bullying to combat homophobia and bullying.
Early life
James played his
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 ...
at
Hutchinson High School in
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, Reno County, Kansas, United States. The city is located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887 (thus its nickname of "Salt City") but locals ...
. James was a member of the 1986 team that reached the state semifinals, and was awarded All County and All State honors. James was a three-sport
letterman
Letterman may refer to:
* Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States
People
* David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host
** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in
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 ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
and
track and field
Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
. As one of the state's top high school long jumpers and sprinters, James had the best
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
in the state of
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
at the 1987
Kansas Relays with a jump of .
Education
* The George Washington University – Master of Business Administration (2013)
* Missouri Southern State University – B.A. in Business Administration (1992)
College career
James received his B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Physical Therapy (Sports Medicine) from
Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University (Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo) is a public university in Joplin, Missouri. It was established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College. The university enrolled 4,087 students in Fall 2023.
History
Missouri Souther ...
, where he was a
two-sport athlete. In
track and field
Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
he was an All Conference sprinter in the
60 metres
60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...
,
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
, and
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
, and had a
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
personal best of . On
NFL pro day, James was able to show his exceptional speed (4.37 seconds in the
40-yard dash) and exceptional jumping ability (41-inch
vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...
) when working out for
NFL scouts
Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
.
Modeling career
After James' professional football career ended, James went on to sign a contract with the
Ford Modeling Agency, appearing in several advertising campaigns, including
Hanes
Hanes (founded in 1900) and Hanes Her Way (founded in 1985) is an American clothing brand headquartered in Winston-Salem. Founded in 1900 as Shamrock Knitting Mills by John Wesley Hanes, the company is owned by Hanes, Inc.
History
Hanes was f ...
,
Fubu,
Avon Products
Avon Products, Inc. ( ) is an Anglo-American multinational company selling cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care products. It is a multi-level marketing company based in London. In 2020, Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwid ...
, and
Phat Farm.
Advocacy
In February 2015, there had much controversy and discussion about the problems that exist between police departments of urban communities and their citizens.
Gateway a program created by James is aptly named as it creates an opening for communication and healing between the
Police Department of St. Louis, Missouri, and its urban youth. The goal of the program is to take the sense of belonging to ones' community, and transform it into tangible relationships that we help to cultivate by focusing on the four principals of guidance, access, tolerance, and education, Gateway redefines the urban experience through a singular purpose and a shared responsibility.
In February 2010,
Al Joyner and James appeared in a
Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization anticipatory response message to a controversial
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of Evangel ...
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
Super Bowl commercial starring
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard Tebow (; born August 14, 1987) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. Tebow played college football for t ...
and his mother.
Philanthropy
In 2007 James founded and is the president of Sean James Student Athletes (SJSA), a
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
organization in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. SJSA provides scholarships for underprivileged youth.
In 2012 James founded Be In The Know About Bullying organization. Be In The Know is an anti-bullying program centered on the philosophy that students can make a meaningful impact on preventing bullying in their schools through leadership, education, and the use of meaningful mentors. The purpose of this organization is to increase awareness of our organization in local communities and share vital information about bullying in order to spark interest and momentum in our fight to end bullying. By bringing together important community figures from different walks of life, and
NFL Players we can facilitate networking and cross promotion to increase awareness and foster programs to combat bullying within our local communities.
Television Correspondent
On October 23, 2013, James appeared o
CBS The Couchto talk about his first national campaig
Pro Athletes Lend Their Voices to Anti-Bullying MovementThe Former NFL player Sean James produced a PSA on the campaign, called ‘Be In The Know About Bullying.’
In November 2013 James spoke about the culture and behavior in NFL locker rooms In the wake of Richie Incognito's suspension from the Dolphins amid allegations that he bullied Jonathan Marti
James in October 2014 became a correspondent expert for PIX 11 tackling social issues in sports and busines
Experts gauge the future of Sayreville HS football playersDr. Leah Lagos, a sports psychologist, former NFL player Sean James joined us in a panel discussion on the fate and future of the football program, the school and its students.
In 2019 James has appeared on Fox & Friends sharing his insight with game predictions and social issues in the NFL
Browns player suspended indefinitely for helmet swing at Steelers quarterback
References
Footnotes
General references
NFL Players AssociationWashington BladeGeorge Washington University
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Sean
1969 births
Living people
American football running backs
Male models from Mississippi
Minnesota Vikings players
Missouri Southern Lions football players
Sportspeople from Hutchinson, Kansas
Players of American football from Meridian, Mississippi
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen