 Playing as a back, James was part of a Massillon team that went undefeated in 1940.He scored a touchdown in a 28–0 victory over Toledo's Waite High School, the biggest game of the year; Massillon came into the matchup having won 30 games in a row, while Waite had won 18 straight.James attended Ohio State University starting in 1941, the same year Brown was hired as the school's head football coach.