James Kelley Yarbrough (born October 28, 1946) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. Yarbrough played college football for the University of Florida. A second-round pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, he played his entire professional career for the NFL's Detroit Lions.

Early years [edit]

Yarbrough was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[1] He grew up in Arcadia, Florida, where he attended DeSoto County High School,^[2] and played high school football for the DeSoto Bulldogs. Yarbrough was an offensive end, doubled on defense as a roving "monster man" linebacker, and also kicked most of the extra points for the Bulldogs. He was also a shot-putter on the DeSoto County High School track team and center on the basketball team.

College career [edit]

Yarbrough received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1966 to 1968.^[3] Memorably, he was a sophomore starter for the Steve Spurrier-led squad that won the first major bowl game in Gators history when they defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 27–12 to win the 1967 Orange Bowl.

Yarbrough returned to Florida during the NFL off-season to complete his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1971, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."^[4] In a 2006 article series written for The Gainesville Sun, he was ranked among the 100 greatest Gator football players of all time (No. 98).^[5]

Professional career [edit]

The Detroit Lions chose Yarbrough in the second round (forty-seventh pick overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft,^[6] and he played his entire nine-season professional career for the Lions as an offensive tackle from 1969 to 1977.^[7] He became a regular starter at left tackle in the last four seasons of his NFL career, starting forty-one of his last forty-nine games.^[1]

See also [edit]

	American football portal
	Biography portal
	College football portal

• Florida Gators
• Florida Gators football, 1960–69
• List of Detroit Lions players
• List of Florida Gators football players
• List of University of Florida alumni

References [edit]

Bibliography [edit]

• 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., 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.
• Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.