James Farrior is a professional football player from the United States of America. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for both the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted into the NFL in 1997 and he won two Super Bowl games – Superbowl XL and Superbowl XLIII.
In 2020, the Steelers inducted Farrior into their Hall of Fame. A few years before that, Farrior was also inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Player Bio and Personal Life
Farrior’s full name is James Alfred Farrior. He was born in January 1975 in Petersburg, Virginia to parents James and Rebecca. He had a potbelly as a kid and was nicknamed by his folks, “Potsie”. His younger brother Matt Farrior also played for the NFL. Farrior is married to his wife Iman and they currently live in Los Angeles.
| Position | Linebacker |
| Height / weight | 1.88 m / 110 kg |
| Born | 6 Jan 1975 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Team History | |
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
2002 - 2011 |
New York Jets
|
1997 - 2001 |
He plays linebacker and he stands 188 centimeters and his listed weight is 110 kilograms.
High School and College Career
Farrior attended the Matoaca High School and while playing for the varsity, he was named to the First-Team All-Conference. He was also given All-State and All-Metro honors.
In addition to baseball, Farrior was also active in track and wrestling when he was in high school and he was lettered for those sports too.
In college, he was recruited by the University of Virginia and he is one of the most prolific tacklers in the University’s history. While in college, he had the chance to play against Mike Tomlin, who would go on to be the coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He finished all his four years in Virginia and he holds a degree in psychology.
The NFL
In 1997, Farrior was drafted into the NFL by the New York Jets. He was selected in the first round and he was their 8th overall pick. He served as the reserve outside linebacker for the team and he stayed with the Jets from 1997 to 2001.
He became a free agent in 2001 and would sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He played a total of 14 games in his first season with the Steelers. For those games, he made 82 tackles. In his 2003 season, he made 141 tackles.
In 2004, he was the second runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year. Ed Reef was awarded that award that year. He performed well throughout his career with the Steelers. When his first contract was up in 2008, he was re-signed to the team for an additional 5 years. The contract was for US$18.25 Million. There was also a $5 million signing bonus.
He stayed with the team until he was released from his contract in 2011. In 2020, he was inducted into the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honour.
Super Bowls
He was with the Steelers as they went up against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XL. This was a win for the Steelers as they played under head coach Bill Cowher.
Three years later, the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl again, this time playing against the Arizona Cardinals. They were now coached by Mike Tomlin.
Farrior also made an appearance for Super Bowl XLV when the Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers.
NFL Career Stats
Tackles: 1,412
Quarterback sacks: 35.5
Interceptions: 11
Forced fumbles: 18
Career Highlights
- 1996 - First-team All-ACC
- XL, XLIII - Super Bowl champion
- 2004 -First-team All-Pro
- 2004 - Pittsburgh Steelers MVP
- 2008 - Second-team All-Pro
- 2016 - Inducted into the VirginiaSports Hall of Fame
- 2020 - Inducted into the PittsburghSteelers Hall of Honour
