Jimmie Giles

Jimmie Giles
Giles c. 1982
No. 88, 81, 83
PositionTight end
Personal information
Born (1954-11-08) November 8, 1954
Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight239 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High schoolGreenville (MS)
CollegeAlcorn State (1973–1976)
NFL draft1977: 3rd round, 70th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Receptions350
Receiving yards5,084
Receiving touchdowns41
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jimmie Giles Jr. (born November 8, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for four teams, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

College career

He played college football at Alcorn State University.

Professional career

He was selected by the Houston Oilers in the third round of the 1977 NFL draft.[1] The 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m), 238-pound (108 kg) Giles played in 13 NFL seasons from 1977 to 1989. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Giles's career flourished as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the early and mid-1980s, despite being used mainly as a blocker during several seasons in which he fell into disfavor with the coaching staff.[2]

Giles' benching coincided with a training-camp holdout, the first in Buccaneers history by a player under contract,[3] and the difficult Doug Williams negotiations that resulted in his departure for the USFL. Giles' four touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins on October 20, 1985, tied Earl Campbell's record for the most touchdowns by a Dolphins opponent,[4] and is still (as of 2017) the Buccaneers' single-game record; despite this, the Dolphins would win 41–38.[5] Dolphins coach Don Shula said of the performance, "I can't remember any tight end dominating us that way".[6] Buccaneer teammate Gerald Carter said that Giles could have been "one of the best all-time tight ends, if they'd used him more".[7] In 1988 with the Philadelphia Eagles, he caught a touchdown from quarterback Randall Cunningham on a memorable play during Monday Night Football.[8] On that play, Cunningham escaped a tackle from Giants linebacker Carl Banks and threw a touchdown to Giles.

On July 13, 2011, the Buccaneers officially announced that Jimmie Giles would be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor on December 4, 2011, when the Buccaneers hosted the Carolina Panthers.[9]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTD
1977HOU 144171478.6170
1978TAM 16102332414.1382
1979TAM 16164057914.5667
1980TAM 16153360218.2514
1981TAM 16164578617.5816
1982TAM 992849917.8483
1983TAM 1192534914.0801
1984TAM 14142431012.9382
1985TAM 16164367315.7448
1986TAM 77181789.9201
DET 981919810.4303
1987DET 4166210.3250
PHI 8079513.6401
1988PHI 1616579.5171
1989PHI 1651622514.1662
1881313505,08414.58141

Playoffs

Year Team Games Receiving
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTD
1979TAM 2234314.3181
1981TAM 1129849.0750
1982TAM 11177.070
1988PHI 10000.000
1989PHI 10000.000
64614824.7751

References

  1. ↑ "1977 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  2. ↑ Flanagan, Mike. "Jimmie Giles' All-Pro form returns". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. October 21, 1985
  3. ↑ Scheiber, Dave. "Giles misses Buc camp in pay holdout". St. Petersburg Times. July 23, 1983
  4. ↑ Nobles, Charlie. "Giles catches the Dolphins off guard". The Miami News. October 21, 1985
  5. ↑ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Public Relations Department. "2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Media Guide".
  6. ↑ Achenbach, Jim. "Giles Catches Everything But a Dolphin". The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 21, 1985
  7. ↑ Zucco, Tom. "Durability has been name of Carter's game". St. Petersburg Times. July 28, 1988
  8. ↑ Klecko, Dan. "Old School All-22: Randall's Signature Moment". https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/video/old-school-all-22-randall-s-signature-moment-13694412.
  9. ↑ "Ring Him In: Giles Next for Exclusive Honor". Buccaneers.com. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.