Hall of Fame
In 1987, Buck James was the starting right tackle on a UAM offensive line that paved the way for the most prolific rushing offense in school history. James, along with John Augman, Charles Bell, Anthony Brown and Brad Bradshaw helped the Boll Weevils pile up 2,882 yards on the ground while averaging 5.6 yards a carry.
Only one member of that line – Bell – earned all-conference honors so it came as something of a shock to James when he was notified of his selection to the UAM Sports Hall of Fame. “Offensive linemen don’t get much hype,” James said. “I played on a great team but I was just part of a group of really good players.”
James may not have grabbed headlines as a player at UAM, but he’s had his share in recent years as one of the winningest high school football coaches in the state. Beginning in 2000, James led Star City and Camden Fairview High Schools to a combined record of 132-28.
After serving as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach at Monticello High School, James became the head football coach at Star City in 2000 and led the Bulldogs to a five-year record of 42-16, winning the school’s first-ever outright conference championship and posting three consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins.
In 2005, James accepted the head coaching position at Camden Fairview and led the Cardinals to eight conference championships in nine seasons while posting a record of 90-12. He took Fairview to three state championship games, winning the title with a 28-10 victory over Batesville in 2012. Along the way, James has won numerous coach of the year awards, including the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s Arkansas Coach of the Year Award in 2010.
He is currently the assistant athletic director and offensive line coach at Little Rock Christian High School.
“This means the world to me,” said James. “I’ve always been taught it’s about team first and I’ve never been about individual awards, but this is the best award I’ve ever received.”
