Jim Maxwell (American football)
Encyclopedia
James Maxwell is an American football
linebacker
for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
of the Canadian Football League
. He was signed by the NFL New York Giants
as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
at Gardner-Webb.
Maxwell has also played for the San Francisco 49ers
, Miami Dolphins
, and Cincinnati Bengals
.
. Maxwell graduated from Johnsonville in 1999 as a salutatorian
.
career at Gardner-Webb from 2000 to 2003. He finished his career with 306 tackles
, 10 sacks
, four interceptions
, 11 fumble
recoveries and eight forced fumbles. He was a first-team All-Big South Conference
selection as a senior in 2003 when he tallied 116 tackles, three sacks and an interception. He graduated with a degree in business administration.
and was signed as an undrafted free agent
by the New York Giants
on April 27, 2004. He was waived by the team following training camp on August 30 but was re-signed to the practice squad. Maxwell was promoted to the active roster on September 14 and remained there the final 14 games of the regular season. He recorded seven tackles and a sack on defense and 11 stops on special teams.
Prior to the 2005 season
, Maxwell was recognized by the NFL for completing his college studies and earning an MBA
from Gardner-Webb. He was able to earn the degree by taking advantage of the Continuing Education Program, offered by the NFL Player Development Department.
In 2005, Maxwell once again was waived by the Giants at the conclusion of the preseason.
signed him to their active roster, where he stayed for 11 games. On the year, he recorded seven tackles on defense, and finished third on team on with 14 stops on special teams. He also recovered a fumble on special teams.
Maxwell was waived by the 49ers on September 2, 2006.
nursing a hamstring
injury prior to Week 6, the Dolphins signed Maxwell to their active roster on October 11. He ended up playing in a reserve role eight games during the season and was inactive three times. He made his Dolphin debut in a special teams role on October 15 against the New York Jets
. He finished the season with three solo tackles and one assisted tackle.
The Bengals re-signed Maxwell on December 17 after linebacker
Victor Hobson
was waived.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. He was signed by the NFL New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Gardner-Webb.
Maxwell has also played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
.
Early years
Maxwell attended Johnsonville High School in Johnsonville, South Carolina where he was a letterman in footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
. Maxwell graduated from Johnsonville in 1999 as a salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
.
College career
At the beginning of his college football career his coach asked him if he wanted to sit on the bench or play defense. Maxwell started all 42 games in which he played during his four-year collegiateCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
career at Gardner-Webb from 2000 to 2003. He finished his career with 306 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, 10 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
, four interceptions
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
, 11 fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recoveries and eight forced fumbles. He was a first-team All-Big South Conference
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
selection as a senior in 2003 when he tallied 116 tackles, three sacks and an interception. He graduated with a degree in business administration.
New York Giants
Maxwell went undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
and was signed as an undrafted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on April 27, 2004. He was waived by the team following training camp on August 30 but was re-signed to the practice squad. Maxwell was promoted to the active roster on September 14 and remained there the final 14 games of the regular season. He recorded seven tackles and a sack on defense and 11 stops on special teams.
Prior to the 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, Maxwell was recognized by the NFL for completing his college studies and earning an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Gardner-Webb. He was able to earn the degree by taking advantage of the Continuing Education Program, offered by the NFL Player Development Department.
In 2005, Maxwell once again was waived by the Giants at the conclusion of the preseason.
San Francisco 49ers
On October 11, the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
signed him to their active roster, where he stayed for 11 games. On the year, he recorded seven tackles on defense, and finished third on team on with 14 stops on special teams. He also recovered a fumble on special teams.
Maxwell was waived by the 49ers on September 2, 2006.
Miami Dolphins
With linebacker Derrick PopeDerrick Pope
Derrick Trayon Pope is a professional American and Canadian football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
nursing a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury prior to Week 6, the Dolphins signed Maxwell to their active roster on October 11. He ended up playing in a reserve role eight games during the season and was inactive three times. He made his Dolphin debut in a special teams role on October 15 against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He finished the season with three solo tackles and one assisted tackle.
Cincinnati Bengals
Jim Maxwell's debut with the Cincinnati Bengals came on December 15, 2007 in a 13-20 loss at San Francisco. Despite the team loss, Maxwell recorded his first two tackles as a Bengal. He was released during final cuts on August 30, 2008.The Bengals re-signed Maxwell on December 17 after linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Victor Hobson
Victor Hobson
Victor Brian Hobson is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
was waived.