A special ceremony will be held at the Indiana County Courthouse as a historic marker will be put in place for an Indiana County athlete who became a legendary professional football player.
The marker will be for Jim Nance, the Indiana High Graduate who went on to become a legendary player with the Boston (now New England) patriots. Nance was a wrestling standout at Indiana High School, becoming a two-time PIAA Heavyweight champion. He continued to wrestle at Syracuse University where he became a wrestling champion there and also earned All-American honors. He also became a part of the Syracuse football team, tying the school record for touchdowns and leading the team in Rushing in 1964.
Nance would be drafted by the Boston Patriots in the AFL and the Chicago Bears in the NFL, with Nance signing with the Patriots. He lead the AFL in rushing for two seasons, and went on to become the only AFL player to rush for over 1400 yards in a season. He was an AFL all-star and league MVP in 1966. He retired from the Patriots in 1971, as the team’s all-time leading rusher with 46 career touchdowns, which is a record that is still in place. Nance would also play for the New York Jets and played two seasons in the World Football League.
The ceremony is set for 2:00 PM this afternoon.
