Freddie James

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Freddie James (born 1937) is a former American football coach. He played college football at Prairie View A&M University in the late 1950s under coach Billy Nicks. After college, he worked in a steel plant for a couple of years and then as a physical therapist in Houston. Nicks later recommended him for high school coaching.

In 1982, James became head coach at David W. Carter High School in Dallas. In his first year, Carter reached the 5A state semifinals. In 1988, Carter won the state title, but the win was later forfeited due to eligibility violations. He and the team were banned from the state playoffs in 1989 because of an ineligible player, but Carter reached the state semifinals again in 1990.

James retired after the 1995 season with a record of 123–22–3 at Carter over 14 seasons, turning the program into a nationally recognized powerhouse. His overall coaching record was 147–28–4.

He was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 1996. He was portrayed in the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights by Julius Tennon and in the 2015 film Carter High by Charles S. Dutton, which depicted the 1988 season.