He played college football for the Fisk Bulldogs and was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent after the 1969 NFL/AFL draft.
Operations were done on his knee, and he tried to make a comeback target for 1976 and 1977 but realized the futility of his situation and retired.
He was inducted into the Bills Wall of Fame in 1998, the first defensive back to receive the honor.
James instead decided to return to Middle Tennessee State for a master's degree and soon became a teacher and assistant principal of Riverdale High in Murfreesboro and later became a pastor.
This biographical article relating to an American football defensive back born in the 1940s is a stub.