J. V. Cain
No. 88
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born:(1951-07-22)July 22, 1951
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died:July 22, 1979(1979-07-22) (aged 28)
St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Booker T. Washington
(Houston, Texas)
College:Colorado
NFL Draft:1974 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:76
Receiving yards:1,014
Receiving touchdowns:9
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

James Victor Cain, Jr. (July 22, 1951 – July 22, 1979) was an American football tight end who played for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected by the Cardinals seventh overall in the 1974 NFL Draft.[1]

Professional career

Cain was selected seventh overall in the 1974 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the Cardinals already having a starting tight end in Jackie Smith, general manager George Boone believed Cain was too good a talent to pass up and decided to draft him anyway to play as Smith's backup.[2] In his first two seasons, Cain played in a total of 28 games with ten starts, totaling 286 yards and two touchdowns,[1] and was also named the Cardinals' rookie of the year in 1974.[3]

In 1976, Cain became a full-time starting tight end for the Cardinals, starting all 14 games and catching for 400 yards and five touchdowns. He started every game of the 1977 season as well, catching for 328 yards and two touchdowns.[1]

In 1978, Jackie Smith joined the Dallas Cowboys, leaving Cain the top tight end on the Cardinals' roster.[2] However, Cain then suffered an Achilles tendon injury in training camp and missed the entirety of the 1978 season.[4] A devout Christian, Cain used his time that season to read the Bible, and prayed that after recovering from the injury, he would go on to become an All-Pro tight end. As he had hoped, Cain did make a full recovery from his Achilles injury, though he never played another down of NFL football.[5]

Death and legacy

On July 22, 1979, his 28th birthday, at about 8:30 p.m., Cain suddenly collapsed during a no-contact training camp practice at Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Missouri. He was revived by CPR and taken to nearby St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died less than two hours later.[2][4][6] His death was found to be due to an extremely rare congenital heart problem, undetectable except by autopsy, which was exacerbated by strenuous exercise.[3][5]

In honor of Cain, the St. Louis Cardinals football team wore black armbands during the 1979 season.[3] Cain's number 88 is retired by the Cardinals.[7]

Career statistics

Regular season statistics
Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
1974STL 1431315211.740100
1975STL 1471213411.218120
1976STL 14142640015.434500
1977STL 13132532813.138200
Career 5537761,01413.340920
Postseason statistics
Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
1974STL 100000000
1975STL 112178.511000
Career 212178.511000

References

  1. 1 2 3 "J.V. Cain Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "J.V. Cain had a promising career come to a fatal end on the field". Raising Zona. February 2, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Underwood, Bob (July 22, 2020). "Big Red Tragedy: J.V. Cain". THE BIG RED ZONE. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Card end dies after collapsing". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. July 23, 1979. p. 20.
  5. 1 2 Barnidge, Tom. "1979: The death of J.V. Cain stunned the Big Red and the football world". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Cain death stuns Cards". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. July 23, 1979. p. 2D.
  7. ↑ "J.V. Cain". cubuffs.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2014.


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