Eddie James was a charter member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963.  Playing in the 20s and 30s, most of James's career preceded the forward pass, and James was noted for being a rough and tough ball carrier.  Also, like most players of that era, James played both offense and defense.  James played junior football with the Regina Pats, and in 1928 was called up to the Roughriders when they ran into injuries.   James played for the Regina (as Saskatchewan was called then) Roughriders from 1928 to 1931,before moving to Manitoba.  James played with the St. Johns College (Manitoba in 1932, missed 1933 due to a broken arm), and 1934 to 1938 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  [St. John's amalgamated with the Winnipeg Pegs to form the Blue Bombers].  James was with the Bombers when they won the Grey Cup in 1935, the first victory for the West.   Unfortunately, there are very few individual statistics from those years, so today we are forced to rely on fading memories and reputations.  By all accounts, James was one of the great players of that era.  Consider a couple of other points.   Point one is that the trophy for the leading rusher in the West is named after Eddie James.  Point two is genetics.  Eddie's son was Gerry James, who was also an outstanding running back with Winnipeg, and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.  Eddie James passed away on September 26, 1958.  Besides being a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, James is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of fame.

Canadian Hall of Fame Bio for Eddie James

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Bio of Eddie James

There is some discrepancy on years.  One source has James retiring after the 1935 Grey Cup, while others have James playing until 1938.