Former TCU football coach, NFL assistant who spent time with Dallas Cowboys has died
A former TCU football standout who later served as the program’s head coach has passed away.
Jim Shofner died on July 17 at the age of 85, TCU has confirmed.
Shofner was a standout athlete at Fort Worth North Side before going to TCU as a two-sport athlete in football and baseball. He earned three letters in football (1955-57) and two letters in baseball (1956-57) with the Frogs. In 1957, he led the TCU football team in rushing with 682 yards and six touchdowns, including 109 yards rushing in a 28-0 victory over Alabama. Shofner was named All-Southwest Conference that season.
Shofner went on to play six seasons for the Cleveland Browns and then had a long coaching career. His career included a stint returning as TCU’s head coach from 1974-76, going 2-31.
Shofner was inducted into the TCU Hall of Fame in 1981.
However, it was in the NFL where Shofner had most of his coaching success. He was the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach of the San Francisco 49ers when John Brodie was the NFL’s MVP in 1970. He was the QB coach for the Browns when Brian Sipe won the MVP in 1980. And he was with the Buffalo Bills during two of their Super Bowl runs in 1992 and 1993, serving as QB coach on a team led by Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.
His coaching career also included a stint with the Dallas Cowboys as their QB coach from 1983-85.
Shofner is survived by his wife, Nancy; son Mike and his wife Lisa, their sons John and Daniel; his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Jeff, and their sons James and Jake.
Services are scheduled for Friday, July 30 at 11 a.m. at Doxology Bible Church located at 4805 Arborlawn Drive, Fort Worth, 76109.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 1:35 PM.
