James H. Weaver (1903 – July 11, 1970) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Wake Forest University from 1933 to 1936, compiling a record of 10–23–1. Weaver was athletic director at Wake Forest from 1937 to 1954. As athletic director at Wake Forest, one of his most notable actions was the development of the golf program, including the recruitment and award of a scholarship to Arnold Palmer. On May 7, 1954, he was named commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He held the post until his death in 1970. Early life and playing career Weaver was a native of Rutherfordton, North Carolina. In 1919 he matriculated at Emory and Henry College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. His father, Charles C. Weaver, was president of the college. The younger Weaver subsequently attended Trinity College in Durham, North Carolina – now Duke University – before moving on to Centenary College of Louisiana, where he played football. Coaching career After graduating from Centenary, Weaver played professional football and coached the freshmen football team as his alma mater. He returned to North Carolina to become the football coach at Oak Ridge Military Academy in 1928, serving in that capacity for five years. Death Weaver died at the age of 67 in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 11, 1970. Honors The James Weaver Award, awarded from 1970 to 1994, for the ACC Student-Athlete of the Year (showing exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom), was named after Weaver . In 1994, it merged with other awards, eventually forming the Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Awards. Weaver was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, following his death. He was also among the inaugural class inducted into the Wake Forest athletics hall of fame. Head coaching record College References 1903 births 1970 deaths American men's basketball players Atlantic Coast Conference commissioners Emory and Henry Wasps baseball players Emory and Henry Wasps football players Emory and Henry Wasps men's basketball players Centenary Gentlemen baseball players Centenary Gentlemen football coaches Centenary Gentlemen football players Wake Forest Demon Deacons athletic directors Wake Forest Demon Deacons football coaches High school football coaches in North Carolina People from Rutherfordton, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina Baseball players from North Carolina Basketball players from North Carolina