A sports guy until the end. (1974–2025)
Today, we said goodbye to my dear friend James Ronald Kirkland, Jr., who passed at just 51 years old. His celebration of life was held today, April 23, 2025 in Atlanta, GA — a heavy day I / we will never forget.
James and I met while in college and instantly clicked. He became a great friend not only to me but also to my wife and friends — the kind of friend you could always count on. Wise. Measured. Loyal. Kind. Hilarious. Solid to the core.
He was a standout from early on. James earned a scholarship (like me) playing football at our rival school, Duke University, where he not only made his mark on the field — eventually becoming their all-time leading tackler — but also earned a degree in Philosophy. That balance of brains and brawn? That was classic JK.
He didn’t stop there. James went on to earn his Master’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Georgia Tech. His career spanned roles as an NFL pro scout (Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears) and player personnel executive at Cleveland Browns, Michigan State and Illinois, before finishing strong at the NCAA National Office as Associate Director of Enforcement, Football Development. He was respected everywhere he went — in locker rooms, sports leadership rooms, and beyond. Even Lovie Smith showed up and spoke about the man and professional James was. He did a great job, as did several friend including an emotional Ray Farmer (his Duke teammate).
This below is a photo of James posted up at LeBron James’ locker back when he was a football scout for the Cleveland Browns. That was James — always in the mix, always where the action was.
James grew up in Decatur, GA, behind South DeKalb Mall. He went to Flat Shoals Elementary and spent his childhood running around Gresham Park, playing baseball and football with his friends. He later attended Henderson High School — a time he remembered fondly, when people treated each other like family.
Those early years were simpler, and James and I always loved talking about them. Back then, kids played outside from sun-up to streetlight. Fast food wasn’t the norm — just sandwiches, candy, pickles, or whatever you could find. We played Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light, Tag, Four Square, Touch Football, and Hopscotch. We raced in the street, made scooters out of old skates, climbed trees, drank from water hoses, and rode bikes for hours — with no cell phones and no fear.
Respect was non-negotiable. If you got out of line, any adult had the right to correct you — and you knew better than to talk back. Fistfights happened, but kids didn’t carry weapons. School was mandatory, and character was everything.
James was shaped by those times — and he never forgot where he came from. We shared stories about growing up with meager means in different states, yet somehow on the same path. I knew his mother Wanda, his sister Tezlyn, one brother “T-Mo”, his beloved Granny, and several of his close personal friends. And he knew several of my and my wife’s closest friends and more.
He was my guy. A brother. One of two armor bearers in my wedding. And he loved music as much as I did. James was a man of faith, a devoted husband and a loving father to a beautiful daughter Janay. He was a good man — greatly admired by tons of friends and colleagues, deeply loved, and now deeply missed.
Many still remember one of the most powerful things he would say to encourage us in things pertaining to life, “man, stick that foot in the ground, and get up the field”! So we are all obligated to keep going, moving forward as he would prod us to do.
Rest in power, JK. Your legacy lives on in every life you touched. Our love, thoughts and prayers are with his family.