Freddie James, the longtime Dallas Carter High School football coach, has died at 89. His family confirmed that he died Thursday morning, October 29, according to a Dallas Morning News report republished by Texas Metro News.
Julius Tennon played James in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights. Charles S. Dutton later portrayed him in the 2015 drama Carter High.
South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd credited James with setting a standard for success that helped shape his own coaching ambitions. “He was an icon,” Todd told the newspaper.
On October 29, Dallas ISD trustees approved a waiver allowing Carter’s athletic complex to be named in James’ honor.
James Built Carter Into a Texas Football Power
Born Freddie Lee James on July 25, 1937, in Atlanta, Texas, he earned a scholarship to Prairie View A&M University. He played running back and defensive back on its 1958 Black college national championship team.
His coaching career began in 1964 at Spigner High School in Calvert, Texas. He later joined Dallas ISD and worked as an assistant at Carter before taking charge of its football program in 1982.
The Dallas Morning News credited James with a 139-27-5 record across 14 seasons leading Carter. Eight of his players reached the NFL, including New York Giants All-Pro linebacker Jessie Armstead and two-time San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl champion Chet Brooks.
James received eight Dallas ISD Coach of the Year awards. He also joined the inaugural Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame class in 1996 and the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame’s first class in 2018.
The 1988 Carter Team’s Story Reached the Screen in Two Films
Friday Night Lights, starring Billy Bob Thornton, followed Odessa Permian’s 1988 season. Tennon’s portrayal included James’ habit of coaching with a lollipop in his mouth, a familiar sight to people who watched him on the sidelines.
The film changed the teams’ actual state semifinal into a championship matchup, as the Houston Chronicle documented during production. Carter went on to beat Judson 31-14 in the real Texas Class 5A final. The University Interscholastic League stripped that title in 1991 over a player’s academic eligibility.
“People can say what they wanna say, but we know who won the state championship in 1988,” James told CBS Texas in 2021.
Carter High approached the season from the Cowboys’ perspective. Former Carter receiver Arthur Muhammad wrote and directed the film, with former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis serving as a co-producer.
His Family Has Announced November Memorial Services
According to his obituary published by Laurel Land Funeral Home, James’ community work included co-founding a reading club bearing his name and serving as president and CEO of Divine Fountain Ministries.
He is survived by his son, Frenanda, three grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Public visitation is scheduled for November 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Union Church in Dallas, followed by a wake from 6 to 8 p.m. A celebration of life will take place November 21 at 11 a.m. at Ellis Davis Field House, with a committal service that day at Laurel Land Memorial Park.