Jim Pace facts for kids
Pace, c. 1957
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| Position: | halfback | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | January 1, 1936 Little Rock, Arkansas |
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| Died: | March 4, 1983 (aged 47) Culver City, California |
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| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1958 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| San Francisco 49ers (1958) | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
James "Jim" Edward Pace (born January 1, 1936 – died March 4, 1983) was an American running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was also a top college football player, known as an All-American halfback. He played for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1955 to 1957.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Jim Pace was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but he grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When he was young, he played football with his friends, including future NFL player Terry Barr.
In high school, from 1950 to 1954, Jim was a star in both football and track. He was very fast! In track, he could run the 100-yard dash in just 9.6 seconds at Dunbar High School.
College Football Success
Jim Pace went to the University of Michigan and played for their Michigan Wolverines football team. He was an amazing player! He was even named the Most Valuable Player for the Michigan football team.
Jim also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award. This award goes to the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference, which is a group of major college sports teams.
Besides football, Jim also ran track at Michigan. He won the Big Ten 60-yard indoor dash title, showing how fast he truly was.
In 1957, Jim scored ten touchdowns for his team. Seven of these were from running with the ball, two were from catching passes, and one was from returning a punt. He gained almost 800 yards that year by running, catching, and returning punts. He averaged 5.4 yards every time he ran with the ball.
In a big game against Ohio State in 1957, Jim ran for 164 yards and caught a 14-yard pass. At that time, this was a record for the most rushing yards by a Michigan player against Ohio State. Jim also played in the 1957 East–West Shrine Game, which features top college players. He was chosen by the Associated Press as a first-team player for the 1957 College Football All-America Team, meaning he was one of the best college players in the country.
Professional Football and Later Life
After his amazing college career, Jim Pace was picked eighth overall in the first round of the 1958 NFL Draft. He played one season for the San Francisco 49ers. Later, he played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League before he stopped playing football in 1963.
After retiring from football, Jim worked in sports administration and even acted in TV commercials. He also became a school administrator in Los Angeles. Jim Pace passed away at the age of 47 in Culver City, California.
See also
- List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans
