James McArthur Washington (born January 10, 1965) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. With the Cowboys, he won back-to-back titles in Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII, both against the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. Early years Washington attended Jordan High School, before accepting a scholarship from UCLA. In 1984, he was named the starter at free safety and registered a school record for a freshman 119 tackles. He was a standout defensive back, finishing as a four-year starter with 339 tackles and 15 interceptions. He played in the 1984 Rose Bowl, 1985 Fiesta Bowl, 1986 Rose Bowl, 1986 Freedom Bowl, and the 1987 Aloha Bowl. He was the co-most valuable player of the game in the 1985 Fiesta Bowl. Washington has a BA degree in history from UCLA and is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. Professional career Los Angeles Rams Washington was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft, after dropping because he tore the same knee ligament as a junior and senior. On November 6, 1989, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a thigh injury he suffered in the ninth game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was activated on December 28, in time for the playoffs. He replaced an injured Vince Newsome at free safety in the NFC title game and posted 9 unassisted tackles, during a 3-30 loss against the San Francisco 49ers. Playing sparingly as a reserve during his first two years in the league, the Rams left him unprotected—eligible to sign with any team—under Plan B free agency at the end of the 1989 season. Dallas Cowboys On March 30, 1990, he was signed in Plan B free agency by the Dallas Cowboys, where he became one of the hardest hitting defensive backs in the league, earning the nickname "Drive-by". Even though he started only 10 games at strong safety, he tied for the team lead in interceptions (3). In 1991, he became the regular starter at strong safety. The next year, he began the season as the starter until the Cowboys acquired Thomas Everett. Although he was relegated briefly to the bench, a knee injury to Ray Horton allowed him to take over the role of