Preacher Pilot

Preacher Pilot

New Mexico State Aggies
Position	Halfback
Career history
College	New Mexico State
High school	Kingsville HS
Personal information
Date of birth	January 22, 1941
Place of birth	Kleberg County, Texas
Date of death	January 2, 1991 (age 49)
Place of death	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Height
Weight
Career highlights and awards
NCAA rushing leader, 1961 & 1962

James Isaac "Preacher" Pilot (January 22, 1941 - January 2, 1991) was an American football player. He played for the New Mexico State Aggies football team from 1961 to 1963. He led the country in rushing yardage in both 1961 with 1,278 yards and in 1962 with 1,247 yards. He was the first player since Tom Harmon to lead the country in rushing yardage in consecutive years. He also led the NCAA major colleges in scoring with 138 points (13.8 points per game) in 1961.

Pilot grew up in Kingsville, Texas. He initially attended the University of Kansas on a basketball scholarship and, after one year, transferred to New Mexico State. He was inducted into the New Mexico State Athletics Hall of Fame. He died in 1991 at age 49 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

See also

• List of college football yearly rushing leaders
• List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders