Jim Yarbrough

James Kelley Yarbrough (born October 28, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. Yarbrough played college football for the Florida Gators. A second-round pick in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, he played his entire professional career for the NFL's Detroit Lions.

Early life

Yarbrough was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He grew up in Arcadia, Florida, where he attended DeSoto County High School, and played high school football for the DeSoto Bulldogs. Yarbrough was an offensive end, doubled on defense as a roving "monster man" linebacker, and also kicked most of the extra points for the Bulldogs. He was also a shot-putter on the DeSoto County High School track team and center on the basketball team.

College career

Yarbrough accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ray Graves' Gators football teams from 1966 to 1968. He was a sophomore starter for the Steve Spurrier-led squad that won the first major bowl game in Gators history when they defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 27–12 to win the 1967 Orange Bowl.

Yarbrough returned to Florida during the NFL off-season to complete his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1971, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great." In a 2006 article series written for The Gainesville Sun, he was ranked among the 100 greatest Gator football players of all time (No. 98). In the fall of 1999 Yarbrough was named as the Tight End on the Gators All-Century team as chosen by Gator fans and organized by the Gainesville Sun.

Professional career

The Detroit Lions chose Yarbrough in the second round (47th pick overall) of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, and he played his entire nine-season professional career for the Lions as an offensive tackle from to . He became a regular starter at left tackle in his third season, 1971.