James Lofton

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Lofton prepped at George Washington High School in Los Angeles, California, where he played quarterback and safety. He played college football at Stanford University, earning a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 1978. He was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. He won the long jump at the 1978 NCAA Track and Field Championships with a wind-aided jump of 26 feet 11¾ inches. He was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1978 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was named to the NFL Pro Bowl eight times (seven with the Packers, one with the Bills). He was also named to four All-Pro teams. He played in three Super Bowls during his career with the Bills. Lofton is the first Packers player not associated with Curly Lambeau or Vince Lombardi to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. During his nine seasons in Green Bay, he left as the team's all-time leading receiver with 9,656 yards (since broken by Donald Driver). On April 13, 1987, he was traded to the Raiders after being charged with second-degree sexual assault; he was found not guilty by a Brown County Circuit Court jury. He became the NFL's active leader in receiving yards at the start of 1990 through his retirement in 1993. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1999.

In Their Own Story

The November wind at Lambeau didn't just bite; it tried to steal the ball. With the turf frozen and thirty thousand fans huddled against the cold, James Lofton became the only warm thing on the field. He didn't sprint down the sideline so much as he surged, his 6-foot-4 frame a white-and-gold javelin cutting through the chaos. As Dickey released the spiral into the biting gale, time seemed to warp. Lofton launched himself, defying gravity with an extension that seemed to last forever, snatching the leather sphere from the air with hands like iron clamps before crashing down into the end zone. The roar of the crowd didn't just celebrate a touchdown; it celebrated the moment a struggling franchise found its soul.

Reader's Guide

Lofton caught 764 passes for 14,004 yards and 75 touchdowns in his 16 NFL seasons. He averaged 20 yards per catch or more in five seasons, leading the league in 1983 and 1984 with averages of 22.4 and 22 yards respectively. He also rushed 32 times for 246 yards and one touchdown. He is the first NFL player to record 14,000 yards receiving and was the second (one game after Drew Hill) to score a touchdown in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. In 1991, he became the oldest player to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season (since broken by Jerry Rice). On October 21, 1991, he became the oldest player to record 200 yards receiving as well as 200 yards from scrimmage in a game (35 years, 108 days). He is also the 2nd oldest player to have 200+ all-purpose yards in a game behind Mel Gray (35 years, 204 days).

Did You Know?

• Lofton won the long jump at the 1974 CIF California State Meet with a jump of 24 feet 3½ inches.
• He was a sprinter with a best of 20.5 in the 200 meters.
• He has been an active participant in Masters track and field since 1997.
• Lofton's cousin, Kevin Bass, was a Major League Baseball player.