 Sears, circa 1950 | |||||||||||||
| No. 21, 26, 36, 35 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Defensive back Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1931-03-20)March 20, 1931 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | January 4, 2002(2002-01-04) (aged 70) Woodland Hills, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Inglewood(Inglewood, California) | ||||||||||||
| College | USC | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1953: 6th round, 62nd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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James Herbert "Jimmy" Sears (March 20, 1931 – January 4, 2002) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive back andhalfback in theNational Football League (NFL) and theAmerican Football League (AFL). He playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans.
Sears prepped atInglewood High School inInglewood, California, where he wasstudent body president in spring 1949.[1]
Sears playedcollege football at theUniversity of Southern California. He was seventh in theHeisman Trophy voting his senior year, becoming the first Trojan to receive votes for the Heisman.[2]
In 1952, he became the second person to receive theW.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. Before playing for theUSC Trojans, Sears played atEl Camino Junior College inTorrance, California.
Sears played for the NFL'sChicago Cardinals (1954, 1957–1958), and the AFL'sLos Angeles Chargers (1960) andDenver Broncos (1961).
Sears was an assistant coach forUSC during the 1959 season.[3]