Jimmy DuBose

Jimmy DeWayne DuBose (born October 25, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the 1970s. DuBose played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Early life

DuBose was born in Enterprise, Alabama in 1954. He attended Sarasota High School in Sarasota, Florida, and he was a standout high school football player for the Sarasota Sailors, rushing for 1,400 yards and sixteen touchdowns as a senior.

College career

DuBose accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played fullback for coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team from 1972 to 1975. Averaging nearly seven yards per carry, he led the Gators to a 9–2 record, the first time the Gators had achieved nine regular-season wins.

DuBose's 2,159 career rushing yards are, as of 2009, the tenth-best in Gators team history; his senior-year effort of 1,307 yards remains the Gators' third-best season total (following two of Emmitt Smith's seasons). DuBose was the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award recognizing the "senior football player who displayed outstanding leadership, character and courage."

Professional career

DuBose was selected by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round (30th overall) of the 1976 NFL draft, following the Buccaneers' first-round pick, Leroy Selmon, Hobbled by an injured ankle in his rookie season in , he had trouble learning the Bucs system. Playing with a year's experience behind an improved line, he was the Bucs' most consistent runner in the preseason, earning the praise of Buccaneers offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs. In , he became the Buccaneers' first-ever running back to gain 100 yards in a game. He never regained his pre-injury form, and was traded to the Miami Dolphins in , along with a second-round draft pick for running back Gary Davis and cornerback Norris Thomas. Miami coach Don Shula cut DuBose from the squad, feeling that he would, at 205 pounds, be too small to replace Larry Csonka.

In his three-season NFL career, DuBose appeared in thirty-three games, started fifteen of them, and rushed for 704 yards and four touchdowns on 184 attempts. He also compiled seventeen receptions for 118 yards.

Life after football

DuBose is married, and he and his wife have a son and a daughter. DuBose and his wife worked in education. DuBose retired in 2018.