| No. 42 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1953-04-03)April 3, 1953 (age 72) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 209 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Tulsa (OK) Memorial | ||||||||||
| College | Oklahoma | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1975: 4th round, 96th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
James Randell Hughes (born April 3, 1953) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOklahoma Sooners and was selected in the fourth round of the1975 NFL draft.
Hughes attendedTulsa Memorial High School. He was a defensive back and wore lucky #13 jersey. As a senior, he was chosen by theTulsa World newspaper as the Prep Player of the Year, becoming the firstdefensive back to ever win the award.
Hughes accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Oklahoma. He was a safety and wore jersey #19.
As a junior in1973, he earned the startingstrong safety position for theUniversity of Oklahoma, leading the team in interceptions (5) and being namedAll-Big Eight.
As a senior in1974, he played a key role againstNebraska, when he intercepted three passes and had 11 tackles in a 28–14 victory. It was the team's second straightBig Eight championship, en route to an undefeated season and the National Championship. As a senior, he was named All-Big Eight, first-teamAll-American, National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete, GTE/CoSIDAAcademic All-American and also played in theSenior Bowl.
Hughes finished his career after being a part of threeBig Eight Conference titles, one National Championship, finishing fourth in school history with 14 career interceptions and tying the record for passes broken up in a season with 12 (1974).
In 1979, he was voted to the seventies All-DecadeBig Eight Team. In 1995, he was named to the All-TimeBig Eight Team.[1][2]
Hughes was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the fourth round (96th overall) of the1975 NFL draft.[3] He was one of 12 rookies who made the team that year - hence the "Dirty Dozen" nickname for the Cowboys1975 draft, that helped the team reachSuper Bowl X. From the start, his skills earned him comparisons to Cowboys greatCliff Harris.[4]
Super Bowl XII was arguably his best game as a professional, registering 5 tackles, an interception and two fumbles recoveries, while earning MVP consideration.[5]
During his first four seasons, he played mostly as anickelback and served as the backup to Harris andCharlie Waters. In1976, he had a chance to start 2 games after Harris was injured, and in1979, he started in place of Waters, who sat out the entire year with an injured knee. On December 81979, he dislocated his right shoulder playing against thePhiladelphia Eagles, which became an injury that eventually would end his career.
In1980 he was the likely replacement for the retired Harris atfree safety, but he missed most of the year, after reinjuring his right shoulder during pre-season and it being operated on twice.[6] He was replaced in the starting lineup byDennis Thurman.
In1981 he was projected as a starter, but dislocated his right shoulder while playing against theLos Angeles Rams in pre-season. The injury would open the door for rookieMichael Downs to earn thefree safety job and for Hughes decision to retire before the start of the regular season.[7]
Although he played six seasons and recorded 9 interceptions with the Cowboys, his career never fully blossomed because of recurring shoulder injuries. He tied a team record with interceptions in 3 straight playoff games.
Hughes' son, Hampton Hughes, playeddefensive back forBoston College.[8]