Mark James was a former Virginia Union Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Coach James made several coaching stops along his way to Virginia Union. He was a Head Coach for nine years at two major high schools in south Florida. James was able to build powerhouse programs that gained national recognition for producing some of the top division I prospects and several NFL players. In his tenure he worked with a number of successful coaches and future and present NFL players. He started his coaching career as a high school defensive assistant at Coconut Creek in 1997. In 1998, James made the decision to attend Virginia Union University after transferring from University of Louisville. Upon graduation from Virginia Union University in 2000, he returned back to the south Florida area to return to his coaching pathway. James was the Head coach at Dillard High in 2004-2005. From 2005-2011 he was the Head coach at Boyd Anderson where James won three district championships and lead the team to become the school’s all-time winningest football coach. James has also had short stints at Norfolk State University (Linebackers) and St. Paul’s College in 2011 (Offensive Coordinator). Additionally, James was a defensive lineman at University of Louisville from 1990-1993 and at Virginia Union University from 1998-2000.