Sean James

Sean James (born March 15, 1969, in Meridian, Mississippi) was an American football player who signed as a rookie free agent with the Minnesota Vikings (1991–1992). Sean is the cousin of father and son Major League Baseball players Cecil Fielder and Prince Fielder.

College career
James received his B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Physical Therapy (Sports Medicine) from Missouri Southern State University, where he was a two-sport athlete. In track and field he was an All Conference sprinter in the 60 metres, 100 metres, and long jump, and had a long jump personal best of 25 ft. 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) when working out for NFL scouts.

High school career
James played his high school football at Hutchinson High School in Hutchinson, Kansas. James was a member of the 1986 team that reached the state semifinals, and was awarded All County and All State running back honors. James was a three-sport letterman in football, basketball and track and field. As one of the state's top high school long jumpers and sprinters, James had the best long jump in the state of Kansas at the 1987 Kansas Relays with a jump of 23 ft.

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, Fubu, Avon Products, and Phat Farm. James is the founder and president of Sean James Student Athletes (SJSA), a nonprofit organization in New York City. SJSA provides scholarships for underprivileged youth.

In February 2010, Al Joyner and James appeared in a Planned Parenthood anticipatory response message to a controversial Focus on the Family anti-abortion Super Bowl commercial starring Tim Tebow and his mother.

General references

 * New York Post
 * New York Times