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'Great coach, better man': El Paso sports great Louis James dies at age 81

felix f. chavez, el paso times
·2 min read

One of El Paso's greatest and impactful sports figures, Louis James, died Tuesday in El Paso.

James was 81. James was a star athlete at Bel Air High School from 1958-61, where he starred in football, basketball and track and field.

He earned a scholarship to then Texas Western College (now UTEP) and played defensive back for the Miners under coaches Ben Collins, Bum Phillips and Warren Harper.

James earned All-American honors in 1964 and earned an invite to play in the Blue-Gray College All-Star game.

He was an 11th round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles and earned a roster spot in 1965. A knee injury cut short James' career in the pro ranks to two years, but he eventually made his mark in El Paso as an educator and coach.

Former Bel Air High School star athlete Louis James died Tuesday at the age of 81. He later played at Texas Western in college, with Philadelphia in the NFL and was a successful high school coach in El Paso.
Former Bel Air High School star athlete Louis James died Tuesday at the age of 81. He later played at Texas Western in college, with Philadelphia in the NFL and was a successful high school coach in El Paso.

James coached at Bel Air and worked with the successful Bob Savage and was there for 17 years, including a position of defensive coordinator. During his time with the Highlanders, the program won eight straight district titles.

James turned his success as an assistant coach into head coaching opportunities.

He guided Riverside to a 37-21-1 mark during his time with the Rangers, including a second-place finish in 1985 in District 2-5A.

James moved over to Parkland, where he guided the team to a 21-10 record, including a 1994 district championship. After he finished coaching at Parkland, he served as a school administrator.

El Paso sports great Louis James died Tuesday at the age of 81. He was a multi-sport star at Bel Air High School, played football at Texas Western and played in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.
El Paso sports great Louis James died Tuesday at the age of 81. He was a multi-sport star at Bel Air High School, played football at Texas Western and played in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bel Air, Riverside and Parkland are all in the Ysleta Independent School District. He was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

"Had the pleasure of playing for coach James my junior and seniors years at Riverside. He is a big reason for the turnaround at RHS. He had a huge influence on my life. Great coach, better man. RIP coach James," said longtime El Paso football coach Arturo Poblano, Jr.

More: El Paso sports news El Paso's Bobby Dibler is candidate for 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X (Formerly Twitter)

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso sports great, former Riverside football coach Louis James dies