View source for Jim Rountree

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (1936–2013)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
| name = Jim Rountree
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|4|24|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Miami, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|10|1|1936|4|24|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Tamarac, Florida]], U.S.
| team = 
| number = 20
| status = 
| import = yes
| position1 = Defensive back
| position2 = Wide receiver
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lb = 187
| college = [[Florida Gators football|Florida]]
| NFLDraftedYear = 1958
| NFLDraftedRound = 25
| NFLDraftedPick = 298
| NFLDraftedTeam = [[History of the Baltimore Colts|Baltimore Colts]]
| coaching_years1 = {{CFL Year|1968}}–{{CFL Year|1972}}, {{CFL Year|1977}}–{{CFL Year|1978}}
| coaching_team1 = [[Toronto Argonauts]] (Asst. coach)
| coaching_years2 = [[1974 World Football League season|1974]]–[[1975 World Football League season|1975]]
| coaching_team2 = [[Memphis Southmen]] (WFL) (Asst. coach)
| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|1958}}–{{CFL Year|1967}}
| playing_team1 = [[Toronto Argonauts]]
| career_highlights = 
* First-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[1957 All-SEC football team|1957]])
* [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members|University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame]]
| CFLAllStar = {{CFL Year|1962}}
| CFLEastAllStar = {{CFL Year|1959}}–{{CFL Year|1964}}, {{CFL Year|1967}}
}}

'''James W. Rountree''' (April 24, 1936 – October 1, 2013) was an American college and professional [[gridiron football|football]] player who was a [[defensive back]] in the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL) for ten years during the 1950s and 1960s.  Rountree played [[college football]] for the [[University of Florida]], and thereafter, he played professionally for the [[Toronto Argonauts]] of the CFL.

== College career ==

Rountree attended the [[University of Florida]] in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach [[Bob Woodruff (American football)|Bob Woodruff]]'s [[Florida Gators football]] team from [[1955 Florida Gators football team|1955]] to [[1957 Florida Gators football team|1957]].<ref name=ufmediaguide>''[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf  2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402035222/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf |date=April 2, 2012 }}'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 96, 103, 146, 185 (2011).  Retrieved August 31, 2011.</ref>  Memorably, Rountree had an 85-yard [[kickoff return]] for a [[touchdown]], following a key block from [[Don Chandler]], in the Gators' 19–13 win over the [[1957 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia Bulldogs]] in 1955.  He was a first-team All-[[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) selection in 1957, and was the recipient of the Gators' [[Fergie Ferguson Award]], recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage."<ref name=ufmediaguide/>  Woodruff ranked Rountree as one of the Gators' two best defensive backs ''and'' one of their two best running backs of the 1950s.<ref>Tom McEwen, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama, pp. 210–211 (1974).</ref>

Rountree was inducted as a "Gator Great" member of the [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members|University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame]] in 1971.<ref>F Club, Hall of Fame, [http://www.gatorfclub.org/hall-of-fame/greats  Gator Greats].  Retrieved December 14, 2014.</ref><ref>Associated Press, "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s_ceAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FY0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6610,17267&dq=university-of-florida-athletic-hall-of-fame&hl=en  O'Connell Lauded for Actions]," ''Sarasota Journal'' (May 3, 1971).  Retrieved July 24, 2011.</ref>

== Professional career ==

Rountree was selected by the [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]] in the [[1958 NFL draft]],<ref>Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, [http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.aspx?release_id=1448  1958 National Football League Draft].  Retrieved May 25, 2010.</ref> but chose instead to play in the CFL.  He played [[defensive back]] and [[wide receiver]] for the Toronto Argonauts from {{CFL Year|1958}} to {{CFL Year|1967}}, and was a CFL All-Star in {{CFL Year|1962}}.<ref name=cflapedia>CFLapedia, Players A–Z, [http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/r/rountree_jim.htm  Jim Rountree].  Retrieved December 19, 2011.</ref>  In his rookie season, he played defensive back and halfback on offense, and ran for 200 yards on twenty-six carries.<ref name=cflapedia/>  During his ten-season CFL career, Rountree compiled forty-one interceptions, 464 interception return yards, and one interception return touchdown.<ref name=cflapedia/>  Later, he was an assistant coach for the Argonauts and the [[Memphis Southmen]] of the [[World Football League]] (WFL).

At the time of his death in 2013, Rountree still held the Argonauts team records for longest pass reception (108 yards vs. Saskatchewan in 1961), and most interceptions (10) in a single season (1960).<ref name=cfl10072013>"[https://www.cfl.ca/article/toronto-argonauts-mourn-loss-of-all-time-argo-jim-rountree  Toronto Argonauts mourn loss of all-time Argo Jim Rountree]," CFL.ca (October 7, 2013).  Retrieved July 11, 2014.</ref>  He was named an All-Time Argo in 2004, and was named starting cornerback on the All-Time Argos team selected by a committee of alumni, fans and media in 2007.<ref>Canadian Press, "[https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/2013/10/08/argonauts_jim_rountree_former_star_cornerback_dies_at_age_77.html  Argonauts: Jim Rountree, former star cornerback, dies at age 77]," ''Toronto Star'' (October 8, 2013).  Retrieved July 11, 2014.</ref>

== Life after football ==

After retiring from football, Rountree built a successful insurance agency in South Florida.<ref name=cfl10072013/>  He died of cancer on October 1, 2013, in [[Tamarac, Florida]] where he lived; he was 77 years old.<ref>"[https://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/gator-hall-of-famer-jim-rountree-dies/2146194/ Gator Hall of Famer Jim Rountree dies]," ''Tampa Bay Times'' (October 8, 2013).  Retrieved July 11, 2014.</ref>  He was survived by his wife Nan and their two children and three grandchildren.<ref name=cfl10072013/>

== See also ==

{{Portal|College football}}
* [[Florida Gators football, 1950–59]]
* [[List of University of Florida alumni]]
* [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members]]

== References ==

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007).  {{ISBN|0-7948-2298-3}}.
* Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators!  An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002).  {{ISBN|0-9650782-1-3}}.
* Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002).  {{ISBN|1-58261-514-4}}.
* McCarthy, Kevin M., ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tk-IQepI6cC  Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football]'', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000).  {{ISBN|978-0-7385-0559-6}}.
* McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974).  {{ISBN|0-87397-025-X}}.

{{Baltimore Colts 1958 draft navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rountree, Jim}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Tamarac, Florida]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Miami]]
[[Category:American football defensive backs]]
[[Category:Florida Gators football players]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from Florida]]
[[Category:Canadian football defensive backs]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts players]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts coaches]]
[[Category:Canadian football wide receivers]]