Jim Garrett facts for kids
Garrett in 1955
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| No. 84 | |
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| Position: | Halfback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 19, 1930 Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died: | February 9, 2018 (aged 87) Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Rutherford (NJ) |
| College: | Utah State |
| Undrafted: | 1952 |
| Career history | |
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| As coach: | |
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| As executive: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Coaching stats at PFR | |
James William Garrett Jr. (born June 19, 1930 – died February 9, 2018) was an important person in American football. He was a player, a coach, and a scout. He played college football at Utah State University. He also coached football at Susquehanna University and Columbia University.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Jim Garrett grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. He went to Rutherford High School. There, he was a talented athlete. He played as a halfback and a linebacker in football. He was chosen as an All-county and All-state player in 1946 and 1947. He was also a great baseball player. In his last year of high school, he earned All-state honors in baseball too.
After high school, Garrett received a football scholarship. He first went to Saint Mary's College of California. Later, he moved to Utah State University. He had to wait one year before playing football there. In 1950, he was named an All-Skyline Conference fullback. He was also a star on the baseball team. As a senior, he led the team in batting with a .429 average. He played as a catcher.
After college, Garrett joined the United States Army. He served for two years at Fort Lee. While in the Army, he was named All-Army twice. In 1953, he even set a rushing record for Fort Lee.
Playing Professional Football
On January 25, 1954, Jim Garrett signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in five practice games. But he got a knee injury and was released from the team. After that, he signed a baseball contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went to their spring training.
In 1955, he joined the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League. He was a starting player for them. He played in seven games that season.
In 1956, he signed with the New York Giants. However, he broke his leg badly during practice. He was placed on the injured list. In 1957, he signed with the Ottawa Roughriders in Canada. He was released from that team in August.
Coaching Football Teams
Garrett started his coaching career in the United States Army. He was the Athletic Director at Fort Lee from 1952 to 1954. He became a high school football coach in 1955. In 1957, he started coaching football at the United States Coast Guard Academy. He also helped with basketball and baseball there.
In 1959, he became an assistant football coach at Lehigh University. In 1960, he was named the Athletic Director and head football coach at Susquehanna University. He also coached their baseball and track and field teams. His football team had a great record of 39 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie. They had perfect seasons in 1961 and 1962. He later coached the Orlando Panthers in 1968.
Jim Garrett spent about 40 years in the National Football League as an assistant coach. He worked for the New York Giants (1970–1973), the New Orleans Saints (1976–1977), and the Cleveland Browns (1978–1984). In 1974, he was the head coach for the Houston Texans in the World Football League.
In 1984, he became the head coach at Columbia University. The team had not won much in previous years. The team went 0–10 during his time there. After the season, he resigned. His sons, John, Jason, and Judd, who were at Columbia, then moved to Princeton University.
Scouting for NFL Teams
Garrett also had a long career as a football scout. A scout finds talented players for professional teams. From 1966 to 1967, he scouted for the Blesto 9 scouting service. He worked for the Dallas Cowboys as a scout during three different periods: 1968-1969, 1974-1975, and 1987-2003.
As a college scout for the Cowboys, he wrote the first report on future star quarterback Troy Aikman. He also strongly suggested that the team draft wide receiver Randy Moss. In 1986, he scouted for the Buffalo Bills. He helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) because of his great scouting work.
Family and Legacy
Jim Garrett and his wife, Jane, had eight children. Many of his sons followed in his footsteps in football. His sons John, Jason, and Judd all became coaches in the NFL. Jason played and coached for the Dallas Cowboys. John is a head coach at Lafayette College. Judd is an executive in the Cowboys' front office. His son Jim III teaches high school English.
Garrett owned a beach house in New Jersey. He created a practice field in his backyard. He used this field to teach football to his family and other young players. Many NFL players learned from him there. These included Sam Mills, Miles Austin, and Harry Flaherty Sr..
Jim Garrett was very active. He ran 2.5 miles every day for 25 years without missing a single day. In September 2012, he had a serious stroke. He passed away on February 9, 2018, at the age of 87.
Garrett is remembered for his contributions to football. He was inducted into the Susquehanna University Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1996, he was part of the first group inducted into the Rutherford High School's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2001, Susquehanna University named their athletic building the James W. Garrett Sports Complex in his honor. In 2018, he was inducted into the Middle Atlantic Conference Sports Hall of Fame.
