James Finn Jr. (born December 9, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He player college football for the Penn Quakers and was selected by the Chicago Bears as the final pick of the 1999 NFL draft.
Early life
Finn was born in Teaneck, New Jersey and grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
[ Giants Re-Sign FB Jim Finn , New York Giants, March 28, 2005. Accessed March 29, 2011. "Finn grew up in Fair Lawn, N.J., and was a star at Bergen Catholic High School, both of which are located a long punt from Giants Stadium."] He attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, where he was involved in both football and
wrestling.
[Branch, John. "Giants' Finn Is the Anonymous Blocking Back", The New York Times, November 11, 2005. Accessed November 14, 2018. "Just last week Finn brought to work a tape from his days at Bergen Catholic High School, which Finn carried to a New Jersey state championship, and showed it to teammates between meetings."] An All-State pick in both sports, he was the 189-pound class state champion and posted a 33–2 record as a senior.
Because no
Division I-A recruiters were seeking him, Finn sought a
Division I-AA program and committed with the University of Pennsylvania.
College career
Finn was a four-year letterman while playing
college football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he accumulated 2,277 rushing yards, which ranks as the fourth-highest total in school history. He also scored 180 points for fifth on the all-time list. He was an All-
Ivy League player as a senior and junior. In his senior season, Finn set school records for yards, rushing attempts, and rushing touchdowns.
Penn first experimented with having Finn play both offense and defense on October 18, 1997, against Columbia. In that game, Finn ran for 138 yards on 24 carries including one touchdown for 15 yards but fumbled on Columbia's 3-yard line on a 50-yard run. With the 24–7 win, Penn beat Columbia for the first time since 1994.
In addition to being named an All-Ivy Team member, Finn was named Player of the Year. He also holds school records for most rushing attempts, rushing yards, and touchdowns in a game. Before being converted permanently into a fullback, Finn briefly played as a safety, even starting a few games as a sophomore. While at Penn, Finn became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Finn also attended the Wharton School at Penn and graduated with a degree in finance in 1999.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Playing history
Finn was selected as the final pick of the 1999 NFL draft (nicknamed Mr. Irrelevant) by the Chicago Bears.
He was waived and spent time on their practice squad. Finn signed with the Indianapolis Colts in early 2000 where he ran for 44 yards in six rushing attempts and 10 receptions over three seasons.
In 2003, Finn signed with the New York Giants.
[ "To have a career, Finn beat the odds. He was a lightly regarded player at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J. He moved to fullback at Penn, giving him a better chance to become a pro."] In his Giants career, Finn had 21 rushing yards from five attempts. He saw more action as a receiver out of the backfield, with 325 receiving yards and 42 receptions.
In 2005, Finn played in all 16 regular season games with 13 starts including the NFC National Football League playoffs wild card game against the Carolina Panthers. His blocks for Tiki Barber helped Barber rush for a franchise-record 1,860 yards. Finn was primarily a blocking fullback for the Giants.
Finn missed the entire 2007 New York Giants season after being placed on injured reserve. That year, he became a Super Bowl champion when the Giants won Super Bowl XLII. After the season, Finn was cut due to nagging injuries and the emergence of Madison Hedgecock.[ Michael Eisen - Story - 6.13 Mini-Camp Report for Wednesday, June 13 - Giants.com ][ "Farewell to Finn", New York Daily News, February 14, 2008, at archive.org.]
Finn and Brandon Stokley are the only players in NFL history to have caught an offensive pass from both Eli Manning and Peyton Manning.
Personal life
He is the son of James and Jane Finn. Finn married actress
Rosa Blasi on February 14, 2004, in Maui, Hawaii. They had one daughter Kaia
(September 20, 2006) and divorced in 2008.
[ "Monitor", Entertainment Weekly, March 5, 2004.][ "Rosa Blasi Marries Todd William Harris", People, May 8, 2014.]
Finn is a resident in Los Angeles County, California. He has also lived in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
Finn was a named plaintiff in one of the lawsuits filed by former NFL players against the league, alleging that the NFL had failed to warn its players about the risk of long term damage from repeated concussions incurred from playing football.[Lisa Rose, "Former NFL players say they didn't know Toradol hid concussions", The Star-Ledger, December 6, 2011.]
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