| No. 20 | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Defensive back •Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1936-04-24)April 24, 1936 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 2013(2013-10-01) (aged 77) Tamarac, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Florida |
| NFL draft | 1958: 25th round, 298th overall pick |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1958–1967 | Toronto Argonauts |
Coaching | |
| 1968–1972,1977–1978 | Toronto Argonauts (Asst. coach) |
| 1974–1975 | Memphis Southmen (WFL) (Asst. coach) |
| Awards and highlights | |
James W. Rountree (April 24, 1936 – October 1, 2013) was an American college and professionalfootball player who was adefensive back in theCanadian Football League (CFL) for ten years during the 1950s and 1960s. Rountree playedcollege football for theUniversity of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for theToronto Argonauts of the CFL.
Rountree attended theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coachBob Woodruff'sFlorida Gators football team from1955 to1957.[1] Memorably, Rountree had an 85-yardkickoff return for atouchdown, following a key block fromDon Chandler, in the Gators' 19–13 win over theGeorgia Bulldogs in 1955. 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 of the Gators' two best defensive backsand one of their two best running backs of the 1950s.[2]
Rountree was inducted as a "Gator Great" member of theUniversity of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971.[3][4]
Rountree was selected by theBaltimore Colts in the1958 NFL draft,[5] but chose instead to play in the CFL. He playeddefensive back andwide receiver for the Toronto Argonauts from1958 to1967, and was a CFL All-Star in1962.[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 theMemphis Southmen of theWorld Football League (WFL).
At the time of his death in 2013, Rountree still held the Argonauts team records for longest pass reception (108 yards vs. Saskatchewan in 1961), and most interceptions (10) in a single season (1960).[7] He was named an All-Time Argo in 2004, and was named starting cornerback on the All-Time Argos team selected by a committee of alumni, fans and media in 2007.[8]
After retiring from football, Rountree built a successful insurance agency in South Florida.[7] He died of cancer on October 1, 2013, inTamarac, Florida where he lived; he was 77 years old.[9] He was survived by his wife Nan and their two children and three grandchildren.[7]
