James William Schwantz (born January 23, 1970) is an American politician and former football player who is the mayor of Palatine, Illinois.
He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers.
He suffered a broken foot during the summer, sidelining him until the start of his junior season and contributing to him having an off year, finishing with 83 tackles.
On December 25, he was promoted to the active roster to play in the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, where he made one special teams tackle.
[4] On August 28, 1994, he was traded to the defending Super Bowl champions the Dallas Cowboys, in exchange for a sixth round draft choice (#201-Hayward Clay).
[6] In 1997, he was declared a restricted free agent at the end of the season and although he was seen as a valuable player, the Cowboys had serious salary cap problems and could only tender him a qualifying offer at his original undrafted signing.
[13][14] Schwantz was a contributor to the WBBM 780AM Chicago Bears broadcast team along with former players Jay Hilgenberg and Tom Thayer.