The late James Tullis was born 83 years ago today. Tullis is pictured during his freshman year at Florida A&M in 1960. Tullis is wearing a special jersey worn only for the Orange Blossom Classic. A 1959 graduate of Miami Northwestern High School, Tullis was the first of many great football players to come from one of city’s most storied high school programs. He went on to become a 2-time Black College All American quarterback at Florida A&M from 1960 to 1963. Although he was one of the finest quarterbacks in the nation, he was drafted as a safety by the Chicago Bears. Tullis never got an opportunity to play in the NFL. Unfortunately, the league wasn’t ready for a black quarterback in the early 1960s. He was likely the best football player most people in Miami never saw. Photo from James Tullis Facebook page.
Tullis was a player who was truly ahead of his time. A native of Miami, he grew up during segregation. As a kid, he and his friends used to jump the fence and sneak into the Orange Bowl to watch University of Miami games. His first football hero was UM All American fullback Don Bosseler. But due to segregation, African Americans could only sit in the bleachers near the east end zone. At the time, UM had no black players. But his favorite football team was the Florida A&M Rattlers. Each December, Tullis would sneak into the Orange Bowl and watch the Rattlers play in the Orange Blossom Classic. Just a few years later, he would become one of the greatest Rattlers to play at the stadium.
.At 6’3 and 180 pounds, Tullis was the Teddy Bridgewater of his time. But while the white schools like Miami High, Edison, Jackson and Coral Gables got all the headlines in the Miami Herald, Tullis and his Northwestern teammates were relegated to a one-paragraph blurb near the back page of the sports section. Tullis played his first game at the Orange Bowl on Thanksgiving Day 1958. That year, he led the Miami Northwestern Bulls to victory over arch rival Booker T. Washington. Tullis scored 2 touchdowns, including a spectacular 50 yard run. Despite being the best quarterback in the city, none of Florida’s so-called Big Three programs (Miami, Florida and FSU) offered a scholarship due to segregation. But he did receive a scholarship offer from his dream school—Florida A&M.
As one of the finest all around athletes in Miami, Tullis originally came to FAMU on basketball scholarship. But there was little doubt, he was going to play football. He set all the Florida A&M passing records and started to get attention from pro scouts from the NFL and AFL. Former Cleveland Browns hall of famer Otto Graham was one of the first scouts to notice Tullis. After a brilliant performance in the 1961 Orange Blossom Classic, Graham was quoted in the Miami Herald as calling Tullis the first great black quarterback pro prospect. Tullis led the Rattlers to the Black College National Championship in 1961 and was named MVP of the Orange Blossom Classic in 1961 and 1963. He was bigger, stronger and just as quick and fast as Miami’s George Mira. But nobody in the mainstream media ever noticed.
After getting drafted by the Chicago Bears, it became clear Tullis had little chance to play quarterback. The year was 1964 and there were no black quarterbacks in the entire league. It would be another 4 years before Marlin Briscoe became the first black quarterback to start on a major professional team with the Denver Broncos of the AFL. Forced to play safety, Tullis was out of position. He didn’t make the Bears final roster and was cut. He returned to Miami and became a teacher and basketball coach at Northwestern High. Among the athletes he coached was Johnnie Haslem—the father of longtime Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem.
It has been almost 60 years since James Tullis last played football. Most South Florida football fans have never heard of him. His records at Northwestern High and Florida A&M have all been broken. But mention his name to those who saw him play and they will tell you he was one of the best football players to ever come out of the City of Miami. James Tullis passed away in 2019. He was 78-years old.
