View source for Jim Pyne

{{Short description|American football player and businessman (born 1971)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name                = Jim Pyne
| image               =
| number              = 60, 61, 71, 73
| position            = [[Guard (gridiron football)|Guard]] <br> [[Center (gridiron football)|Center]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1971|11|23}}
| birth_place         = [[Milford, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| height_ft           = 6
| height_in           = 2
| weight_lb           = 290
| high_school         = [[Milford High School (Massachusetts)|Milford]]
| college             = [[Virginia Tech Hokies football|Virginia Tech]]
| draftyear           = 1994
| draftround          = 7
| draftpick           = 200
| expansiondraftyear  = 1999
| expansiondraftround = 1
| expansiondraftpick  = 1
| pastteams           =
* [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] ({{NFL Year|1994|1997}})
* [[Detroit Lions]] ({{NFL Year|1998}})
* [[Cleveland Browns]] ({{NFL Year|1999|2000}})
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|2001}})
* [[Indianapolis Colts]] ({{NFL Year|2002}})*<ref>{{cite web |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nfl.com/transactions/league/signings/2002/4 |website=NFL.com |access-date=18 December 2024}}</ref>
| pastcoaching        =
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|2003|2004}})
* [[New Orleans Saints]] ({{NFL Year|2005}})
| highlights          =
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1993 College Football All-America Team|1993]])
* [[Dudley Award]] (1993)
* [[Virginia Tech Hokies football#Retired numbers|Virginia Tech Hokies No. 73]] retired
| statlabel1          = Games played
| statvalue1          = 81
| statlabel2          = Games started
| statvalue2          = 73
| statlabel3          = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3          = 1
| pfr                 = P/PyneJi20 
}}

'''James M. Pyne''' (born November 23, 1971) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player. He played as a [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]] and [[Center (gridiron football)|center]] for nine seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He is the co-founder of [[Wheels Up]] and has also served as the chief partnership officer of the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessairnews.com/mag_story.html?ident=15421|title=Pyne comes in to firm up Wheels Up partnerships |publisher=Business Air News|date=March 26, 2019|accessdate=March 23, 2024}}</ref>

Pyne played [[college football]] for [[Virginia Tech]], and earned [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors. Selected by Tampa Bay in the seventh round of the [[1994 NFL draft]], he became a reliable starter for the Buccaneers, [[Detroit Lions]], [[Cleveland Browns]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. After playing in the NFL, Pyne became an assistant coach for the Buccaneers from 2003 to 2004 and for the [[New Orleans Saints]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jim Pyne|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/coach/pyne00600coach.html|website=Pro Football Archives}}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Pyne was born in [[Milford, Massachusetts]].<ref name=nflprofile>National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/player/jimpyne/2502566/profile  Jim Pyne].  Retrieved February 10, 2012.</ref> He attended [[Milford High School (Massachusetts)|Milford High School]] and [[Choate Rosemary Hall]] in [[Wallingford, Connecticut]], and played [[high school football]] for the Milford Scarlet Hawks and the Choate Judges.<ref name=dbfprofile>databaseFootball.com, Players, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120324233210/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=PYNEJIM01  Jim Pyne]}}.  Retrieved February 10, 2012.</ref>

==Career==
===College football===
Pyne attended [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]], and played for the [[Virginia Tech Hokies football]] team from 1990 to 1993. As a senior in 1993, he was selected as a unanimous All-American, becoming Virginia Tech's first player ever to do so,<ref name="Hall">{{cite web|title=Five Named to Tech Hall of Fame|publisher=Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University|date=August 8, 2004|url=http://www.hokiesports.com/volleyball/recaps/0882004aaa.html|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref> and was also awarded the [[Dudley Award]], which is given to the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]]'s outstanding player of the year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Virginia Tech's Pyne collects Dudley award|work=The Free Lance-Star|agency=Associated Press|date=December 3, 1993|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wl4zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mAcGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2575,450801|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref> He was a finalist for both the [[Lombardi Award]] and the [[Outland Trophy]].

Virginia Tech retired his number 73; it is one of only four football numbers retired by the school in over hundred years of football. He was named to the [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East Conference]]s All-time team at the turn of the century. The offensive line meeting room at Virginia Tech has been named in his honor. He was also inducted to [[List of Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame inductees|Virginia Tech's Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref name="Hall"/> He later was named a legend of the ACC.

===Professional football===
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Pyne in seventh round (200th pick overall) in the [[1994 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1994 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1994/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He played four of his nine professional seasons with the Buccaneers as a left guard, starting in 38 of his 42 appearances from 1995 to 1997.<ref name="pfrprofile">{{Cite web |title=Jim Pyne Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PyneJi20.htm |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cobb|first=Mike|title=Bucs Lose Lineman Pyne to Lions|work=Lakeland Ledger|date=February 22, 1998|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kacsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OP0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1996,1423595|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref>

In 1998, he went to Detroit to play with the Lions and started 16 games at center.<ref>{{cite news|title=Browns decide to build with no-name guys|work=Reading Eagle|date=February 10, 1999|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NyEyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Q6YFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1436,4785361|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref>

In 1999, he became the first overall pick of the [[Cleveland Browns]] in the [[1999 NFL expansion draft|1999 expansion draft]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Browns Get Pick of the NFL Leftovers|work=Los Angeles Times|agency=Associated Press|date=February 10, 1999|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-10-sp-6807-story.html|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref> In Cleveland he was a starter for two seasons at left guard before injuring his knee.  He was named the team MVP by the Akron Browns backers and named the team's top offensive lineman by the touchdown club.  He was also elected team captain while with the Browns.  He was named three times to Muscle and Fitnesses' NFL all strength team.  He finished his career with the [[NFC East]] division champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2001.<ref name=nflprofile/><ref>{{cite web|title=2001 Philadelphia Eagles Starters & Roster|publisher=Pro Football Reference|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/phi/2001_roster.htm|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Pyne's father, [[George Pyne III]], played for the [[Boston Patriots]] of the [[American Football League]] in 1965.  Pyne's grandfather, [[George Pyne II]], played for the [[Providence Steam Roller]] of the NFL in 1931.  The Pynes became the first family to play three generations of professional football.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pyne rejects pay cut and gets cut|work=The Vindicator|agency=Associated Press|date=August 23, 2001|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cVVIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JoIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1142,4621027|access-date=November 18, 2010}}</ref>

His brother, [[George Pyne (business executive)|George Pyne]], has played football at [[Brown University]] and is a businessman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2003/08/20030804/Careerspeople/Pyne-Didnt-Follow-A-Playbook-On-Way-To-NASCAR-Executive-Suite.aspx |title=Pyne didn't follow a playbook on way to NASCAR executive suite |publisher=sportsbusinessdaily.com |date=August 4, 2003 |access-date=October 2, 2015 |author=Hughes, Jed |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002172952/http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2003/08/20030804/Careerspeople/Pyne-Didnt-Follow-A-Playbook-On-Way-To-NASCAR-Executive-Suite.aspx |archive-date=October 2, 2015 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Portal|Biography}}
{{1993 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}{{Dudley Award}}{{Buccaneers1994DraftPicks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyne, Jim}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football offensive guards]]
[[Category:American football centers]]
[[Category:Cleveland Browns players]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:New Orleans Saints players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:Tampa Bay Buccaneers players]]
[[Category:Virginia Tech Hokies football players]]