He was the head coach of the Atlantic City Blackjacks of the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2019.

James grew up in Albany, New York, where he played football at Christian Brothers Academy.

James accepted a scholarship offer from Siena College, where he was an All-American offensive lineman.

On January 30, 2016, James was hired as the new head coach and general manager of the team that became the Portland Steel, replacing Andy Olson.

[6] He helped the Storm to a 10–4 regular season record and a berth in ArenaBowl XXX, where they lost to the Philadelphia Soul by a score of 44–40.