James Retiring as Head of Gator Boosters, Inc.; Search for Replacement to Begin Soon
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 | Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – John James can still see those letters burned into that leather football nearly 60 years later.
James was 4 and living in Panama City when Gators assistant coach John Eibner stopped by the James home for a visit with John Wilbur James Sr., a two-time letterman for the Gators in the late 1920s.
During the visit Eibner gave the young James a football inscribed with two words that have been a huge part of James' life: "Florida Gators."
"That was a significant moment in my life,'' said the 63-year-old James, who has been Executive Director/Secretary of Gator Boosters, Inc. since 1986.
James announced Tuesday morning that he is leaving his longtime post to officially retire next month.
James plans to remain in Gainesville and close to the university. He is also looking forward to developing his oil painting skills, traveling and spending more time with his four kids and five grandchildren.
"I've done some soul searching and I've put a lot of thought behind this," James said in his office decorated with some of his paintings and Gator memorabilia. "This is a decision I've been struggling with for a while, and it just feels right. It's just a good time in my life to do this.
"It's been a labor of love. I love this place."
James took over an organization that was raising approximately a $1 million a year 26 years ago and helped it grow into one of the country's top fundraising arms in college athletics. Gator Boosters, Inc., which has more than 14,000 members, raised over $40 million in the fiscal year ending in June 2010 to help support UF athletics and academics.
Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said James' contributions to the program and university cannot be measured in only financial terms.
"He does a tremendous job not only in fundraising but mostly in friend-raising,'' Foley said. "He takes care of people. He remembers their anniversaries, their birthdays. He's made a lot of boosters feel good.
"I think our booster organization does as good a job as any in America in terms of individual attention they give people and that's coming directly from John because that's his style."
Much of James' personal touch came from his father, who after playing for the Gators moved to Panama City and opened James Furniture Store.
The James family never strayed far from the Gators. They would make the long round-trip to Gainesville on game days when James was a kid. He remembers Florida running backs Jim Rountree and Jackie Simpson as his first sports idols in the mid-1950s.
When James graduated from Bay County High, there was little doubt where he would go to college.
"It's the only school I applied to,'' James said.
James walked onto the Florida football team and became the starting punter during the 1970 and '71 seasons. His football career didn't end at UF.
He played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (1972-81), Detroit Lions ('82) and Houston Oilers ('82-84). He played in three Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL All-Pro Team in '76 and '77. By the time James finished his career, he had punted for a then-NFL record 43,992 yards – or 28.4 miles.
As James contemplated life after football, he considered moving back to Atlanta and entering private business until an opportunity came along to return home.
He became only the third executive director in Gator Boosters, Inc. history when he replaced Gene Ellenson in 1986. Ironically, Eibner, the coach who gave James that Gators football years earlier, was the first director.
"We've come so far,'' James said. "The highlight I think has been working with our board and our donors, people who support and are passionate about this program and all share a dream of academic and athletic excellence. That's our goal."
James added that he is proud of the organization's compliance with NCAA rules during his tenure and how Foley has built an athletic department equally committed to men's and women's sports.
"Gators Boosters is kind of the team behind the teams. I'm just a cog in the wheel,'' James said. "There are just so many great people in this organization and the UAA. We are a big family here.
"[My tenure] has been very meaningful with my family so engrained in the university and with our history with the University of Florida,'' he said. "I love this place. I'm always going to be supportive of here and be part of this family."
Foley said a national search to replace James would begin soon.
"The new executive director will come and build on the foundation that John has built. It's a tremendous organization,'' Foley said. "The boosters who contribute to this program, we couldn't do what we do without this organization. So obviously the leadership going forward is very, very vital to our future success and our future growth."
