Jim Nance

James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance (December 30, 1942 – June 17, 1992) was an American professional football player who played fullback for the Boston Patriots of the American Football League.

A native of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Nance was the son of a Pennsylvania coal miner and one of ten children. He attended Indiana High School, where he won the Pennsylvania heavyweight wrestling championship in both 1960 and 1961. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is said to have added the heavyweight class to accommodate Nance, who in 1959 was too large for the highest existing weight class of 185 pounds.

Nance attended Syracuse University, where he played college football for the Orangemen as a three-year starter. He tied the school record for career touchdowns and led the team in rushing in 1964, scoring in ten straight games. He also wrestled at Syracuse, winning the NCAA national championship at heavyweight in 1963 and 1965 and compiling a 43–1 record. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007.

Nance was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2009.