American Football Database
Register
Advertisement
Jim Rountree
No. 20     
Personal information
Date of birth: (1936-04-24) April 24, 1936 (age 87)
Place of birth: Miami, Florida
Career information
Debuted in 1958 for the Toronto Argonauts
Last played in 1967 for the Toronto Argonauts
Career history
Roster status: Retired
Career highlights and awards
  • N/A
Career CFL statistics as of 1967
Interceptions     41
Receptions     41
Receiving yards     608
Kickoff returns     69
Return yards     1,622

James W. Rountree (born April 24, 1936) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for ten years during the 1950s and 1960s. Rountree played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

College career[]

Rountree attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football team from 1955 to 1957.[1] Memorably, Rountree had an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, following a key block from Don Chandler, in the Gators' 19–13 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in 1957. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1957, and was the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage."[1] Woodruff ranked Rountree as one the Gators' two best defensive backs and one of their two best running backs of the 1950s.[2]

Rountree was inducted as a "Gator Great" member of the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971.[3][4]

Professional career[]

Rountree was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 1958 NFL Draft,[5] but chose instead to play in the CFL. He played defensive back and wide receiver for the Toronto Argonauts from 1958 to 1967, and was a CFL All-Star in 1962.[6] In his rookie season, he played defensive back and halfback on offense, and ran for 200 yards on twenty-six carries.[6] During his ten-season CFL career, Rountree compiled forty-one interceptions, 464 interception return yards, and one interception return touchdown.[6] Later, he was an assistant coach for the Argonauts and the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League (WFL).

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 96, 103, 146, 185 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  2. Tom McEwen, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama, pp. 210–211 (1974).
  3. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  4. Associated Press, "O'Connell Lauded for Actions," Sarasota Journal (May 3, 1971). Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  5. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1958 National Football League Draft. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 CFLapedia, Players A–Z, Jim Rountree. Retrieved December 19, 2011.

Bibliography[]

  • Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
  • Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
  • Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
  • McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
  • McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
Advertisement