James Bernard Shofner was an American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels.
12 Facts About Jim Shofner
1.
2.
Jim Shofner was twice a head coach: first at Texas Christian University from 1974 to 1976, then in an interim capacity with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League in 1990.
3.
Jim Shofner was a four-sport star at North Side High School in Fort Worth, Texas, serving as captain of three squads.
4.
Jim Shofner 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.
5.
Jim Shofner 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.
6.
On March 17,1964, Jim Shofner announced his retirement, citing a business opportunity involving the insurance business in which he was involved.
7.
That opportunity apparently disappeared when Jim Shofner signed as an assistant coach at Texas Christian, his alma mater, beginning a three-decade run in the coaching ranks.
8.
Jim 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.
9.
On December 5,1973, Jim Shofner was named head coach at Texas Christian, but the team endured a 20-game losing streak and Jim Shofner won just twice in three seasons before resigning.
10.
In 1977, Jim Shofner resurfaced with the 49ers before serving as the architect of the Cleveland Browns' offense for three seasons.
11.
Jim Shofner returned to Cleveland for the 1990 NFL season, but the success he had enjoyed a decade earlier was non-existent as the Browns' collapsed, resulting in head coach Bud Carson's firing on November 5.
12.
Jim Shofner was named interim head coach, but the team won only one of the remaining seven games.