Lofton, James D.
Football
b. July 5, 1956, Fort Ord, CA
Lofton was an All-American wide receiver at Stanford University in 1977, when he caught 68 passes for 1,216 yards and 16 touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Lofton was also a track star. He won the NCAA long jump championship in 1978 and was timed at 20.7 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
Lofton joined the NFL's Green Bay Packers as their first-round draft choice in 1978 and was named rookie of the year after catching 46 passes for 818 yards and 6 touchdowns. He led the league in yards per reception with 22.4 on 58 catches in 1983 and 22.0 on 62 catches in 1984.
Accused of sexual assault in 1986, Lofton was suspended for the final game of the season and was then traded to the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders released him after two seasons and he signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1989, when he caught only 8 passes. However, he became a frequent starter with the Bills for the next three seasons, catching 35, 57, and 51 passes, and scoring 18 touchdowns over that span.
Lofton became a free agent after the 1992 season and returned to the Raiders. He played only one game with them in 1993 before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. He retired after that season.
Because of his speed and athletic ability, Lofton was often used on the end-around play, rushing for 246 yards and 1 touchdown on 32 carries, a 7.7 average. He also threw a 43-yard touchdown pass on a trick play in 1982.
When he retired, Lofton was the NFL's all-time leader in reception yardage, but he has since been surpassed by Jerry Rice. After eight years in broadcasting with CNN, NBC, and Fox, he became the San Diego Chargers receivers coach in 2002.