Jim Shofner
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
December 18, 1935 Grapevine, Texas |
| Alma mater | Texas Christian University |
| Playing career | |
| 1955–1957 | TCU |
| 1958–1963 | Cleveland Browns |
| Position(s) | Defensive back, halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1966 | TCU (assistant) |
| 1967–1969 | San Francisco 49ers (DB) |
| 1970–1973 | San Francisco 49ers (QB/WR) |
| 1974–1976 | TCU |
| 1977 | San Francisco 49ers (DB) |
| 1978–1980 | Cleveland Browns (QB) |
| 1981–1982 | Houston Oilers (OC) |
| 1983–1985 | Dallas Cowboys (QB) |
| 1986–1989 | St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (OC) |
| 1990 | Cleveland Browns (OC) |
| 1990 | Cleveland Browns (interim) |
| 1992–1996 | Buffalo Bills (QB) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 2–31 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| All-Southwest (1957) | |
James Bernard Shofner (born December 18, 1935) is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. He was twice a head coach: first at Texas Christian University (TCU) from 1974 to 1976, then in an interim capacity with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) in 1990.
Shofner was a four-sport star at North Side High School in Fort Worth, Texas, serving as captain of three squads. He played college football on both sides of the ball at Texas Christian, leading the Southwest Conference in rushing in 1957 with 682 yards, while scoring six touchdowns. He was a first round draft selection of the Cleveland Browns the following year, and after seeing little action as a rookie, became a starting cornerback in 1959.
During this period, the magic that Paul Brown had enjoyed during his first decade as head coach of the Browns had faded, with the team failing to reach the playoffs during Shofner's six years with the team. On March 17, 1964, Shofner announced his retirement, citing a business opportunity involving the insurance business in which he was involved. That opportunity apparently disappeared when Shofner signed as an assistant coach at Texas Christian, his alma mater, beginning a three-decade run in the coaching ranks.
Shofner served for one season in his role at TCU, before returning to the NFL as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers on March 6, 1967. Despite a head coaching change after the first season, Shofner would stay with the team for another six years, starting on defense before shifting to the offensive side. In 1970, he helped quarterback John Brodie win Most Valuable Player honors with a career year.
On December 5, 1973, Shofner was named head coach at Texas Christian, but the team endured a 20-game losing streak and Shofner won just twice in three seasons before resigning. In 1977, Shofner resurfaced with the 49ers before serving as the architect of the Cleveland Browns' offense for three seasons. During his final year with the team, Shofner watched Browns' quarterback Brian Sipe throw for more than 4,000 yards and win the NFL Most Valuable Player award.
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