Craig James is an American sports and former professional football player. James was heavily recruited out of high school and decided to attend SMU for football. James played on the 1981 SMU team that won the Southwest Conference title.
Prior to becoming a sportscaster, James was a professional football player for the New England Patriots. James was drafted by the Washington Federals in 1983 with the fourth overall pick. In the 1985–86 season, James started at running back all season and rushed for 1,227 yards and was selected for the Pro Bowl. After his retirement from play in 1989, James went on to become a radio analyst for SMU college football games, then the sports anchor for KDFW-TV. During this time, he also appeared on ESPN as a studio analyst on the College GameDay and College Football Scoreboard programs.
James also operates his own broadcasting school, eponymously called the Craig James School of Broadcasting. He ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in Texas in 2012 but was defeated in the first round of the Republican primary.