ELF: Wroclaw Panthers add veteran Swedish safety William James

| American Football | 07/20/2023

The Wroclaw Panthers of the European League of Football have definitely added a boost to their defense with the signing of Swedish defensive back William James. 

One of the ELF’s top tacklers from last season, now makes his return to Wroclaw following the folding of the Leipzig Kings organization announced a week ago. The veteran now joins the 4-3 Panthers for the second half of the season as they hope to make a push at the playoffs.

The 31-year-old, 5’11”, 195-pound defender was one of the ELF’s best defenders last year for the Kings last season recording 97 tackles to finish fifth in the league. On top of that he added five interceptions (tied for second), eight pass break ups, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick. So far this season, James has made 31 tackles and one tackle for a loss in five games.

He was drafted 31st overall by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2021 CFL Global Draft following an impressive combine showing and years of production at the European level. However, James did not make the final roster in Montreal.

Following his release James quickly joined the Ancona Dolphins of the Italian Football League, before signing with the Wroclaw Panthers for three games following the end of the season in Italy. In three games, James made 22 tackles, one tackle for a loss, and two pass break ups in his first stint in Poland.

The well-traveled Swede had most recently played in Europe prior to that in 2020, suiting up for the Helsinki Wolverines and Uppsala 86ers, earning AFI All-Pandemic honors for his play. The year before, the hard-hitting safety was playing rugby and working with racehorses in Australia.

From 2016 to 2018, James was a key fixture in the defensive secondary for the Dresden Monarchs in the German Football League, amassing a total of 313 tackles in three seasons. He began his football career with the Arlanda Jets in his home country of Sweden before deciding in 2011 that he wanted to give college football a try in the United States. He sent out letters to schools and the University of North Dakota allowed him to walk on. After two years he had earned a scholarship. James, who finished his career with the Fighting Hawks with a total of 103 tackles, started at safety off and on in the final two years of his career finally finding a more permanent spot on the team in his senior season.

Read more about James’s unconventional football path here

 

 

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and