Second in a three part articleCedric James was listed at 6-3, 185 wide receiver in his senior year at Kennedale in 1996-97. He earned 11-3A all-district honors for his second straight season. His stats show that he had 27 pass receptions for 678 yards and eleven touchdowns his senior year for the Cats. {{more: Read More …}}
It was a good year for all of the Wildcat team, going 11-1-1 and undefeated in regular season save a tie at the beginning. Kennedale tied Aledo in the first game 6-6 but went on to sweep the rest of the season with victories over Glen Rose, Gainesville, Colleyville Heritage, North Dallas, Forney, Dallas Madison, Ferris, Royse City and Crandal. In the playoffs they beat Kemp and Frisco before falling to Daingerfield.
But, for James in football, things did not end with his senior year. His speed and athletic ability attracted college scouts. This was the days before the media hype that surrounds high school players now but James was getting his share of interest including DI universities. This was something out of the norm for Kennedale footballers.
from the Cats to the Frogs ?
In the end, it was the hometown team that won out. TCU, playing at the time in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), got James to sign on the dotted line. James? timing could not have been better. TCU was on the cusp of gaining national attention and it would be James? 1997 recruiting class that would earn the Horn Frogs ?street cred? with the top NCAA powers. Especially, since that class included LaDainian Tomlinson from Waco University High School.
The Frogs, led by Tomlinson, went from 1-10 in 1997 to three consecutive bowl appearances, two conference championships, a top-ten ranking and a 10-win season, their first since 1938.
While at TCU, James played for 3 different head coaches. He signed under Pat Sullivan, who resigned mid-season in 1997 and was replaced by Dennis Franchione. Franchione restored TCU reputation, coaching three full years, resigning just before TCU played Southern Mississippi in the 2000 Mobile Alabama Bowl (GoDaddy Bowl). The Frogs current head coach, Gary Patterson, stepped in from an assistant?s role to take over the TCU program and coached the final game of James college career.
His senior year was his best year. Playing wide receiver on an offense built around the run, James had 29 receptions for a total 310 yards (16.3 per) with 3 touchdowns. But again, as had happened in high school, his speed, athletic skills and abilities attracted the scouts.
the first Kennedale player drafted by NFL ?
A pro scouting report later listed James as, “An impressive physical specimen. Tall. Lean but well-built with very long arms and huge hands. Played in a run-oriented offense geared around LaDainian Tomlinson.?
James became one of five picked players drafted from TCU that year and the first for Kennedale football. The Minnesota Vikings picked him in the 4th round at #131.
This would begin his pro career that come to an end nearly six years later. One that would lead him through three pro teams, the NFL Europe league and leave him in possession of one of pro football most prized objects, a super bowl ring. It was one also marred, like so many other NFL players, by injury.
travels as a pro ?
In his rookie season for Minnesota, James was sidelined by an injury and missed the 2001 season. He recovered to play five games in 2002 primarily on special teams. He was released 2003 but was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys for their practice squad. He later was promoted to the active roster. He then was released by the Cowboys in 2004 only to be signed by the New England Patriots for their practice squad.
New England, wanting to get him some playing experience, assigned him to play in NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire in Germany. There, he made All-League honors, starting 8 games with 39 receptions for 515 yards and averaging 17.8 yards per catch. But, it was also there that he received an injury that would take him out of the final two games for Rheim. The injury also caused him to miss most of the preseason for New England.
New England put him back on the practice squad and then released him in 2006, ending his NFL career. It was up and down ride as a pro but again an experience that he would not trade for anything.
James is married with 4 children living in Fort Worth. He is Marketing Coordinator for the ?Idea Factory? at program he helped start at TCU in 2011 and is Director of Admissions for MyComputerCareer.com and a motivational speaker.
