James E. Breland, Jr. (born 1944) is a former American football player who was an All-American center for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
 Breland from 1968 Blueprint | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | 1944 |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: | Georgia Tech |
| Position: | Center |
| NFL draft: | 1966 / Round: 17 / Pick: 255 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Breland initially attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he played linebacker for the Navy Midshipmen football team as a sophomore in 1963.[1] As a member of the Midshipmen's football team led by quarterback Roger Staubach, he played in the 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic.[1]
After his sophomore season, Breland transferred to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, and sat out the 1964 season as required by NCAA transfer rules.[1] He was a two-year starter at center for coach Bobby Dodd's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1965 to 1966. As a junior in 1965, he was a key member of the Yellow Jackets team than compiled a 7–3–1 record, and defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders 31–21 in the December 1965 Gator Bowl.[2] He was a team captain during the team's 1966 season when the Yellow Jackets finished 9–2 and received an invitation to the January 1967 Orange Bowl.[2] He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American following his senior season, when he was a first-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, Central Press Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[3][4]
Breland was honored as an Academic All-American in 1966,[3] graduated from Georgia Tech with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1967, and was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.[2] At the end of his final season as Georgia Tech's long-time football coach in 1966, Bobby Dodd called Breland "the best offensive center I've ever had at Tech."[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Associated Press, "Bobby Dodd Heaps Praise on Breland," The Lewiston Daily Sun, p. 11 (October 25, 1966). Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c 2013 Georgia Tech Football Information Guide, Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 170, 172, 178, 179, 184, 197 (2013). Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ^ a b 2014 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners Archived 2018-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 3, 7, 14, 48 (2014). Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ^ Ted Smits, "Irish, Spartans Place 3 on AP All-America," Reading Eagle, p. 44 (December 8, 1966). Retrieved August 16, 2014.