James Isaac "Preacher" Pilot Jr. (January 22, 1941 – January 2, 1991) was an American professional football player. He played for the New Mexico State Aggies football team from 1961 to 1963.[1] He led the country in rushing yardage in both 1961 with 1,278 yards and in 1962 with 1,247 yards.[2][3][4] He was the first player since Tom Harmon to lead the country in rushing yardage in consecutive years.[5] He also led the NCAA major colleges in scoring with 138 points (13.8 points per game) in 1961.[6]
Pilot grew up in Kingsville, Texas. He initially attended the University of Kansas on a basketball scholarship and, after one year, transferred to New Mexico State.[7] He was inducted into the New Mexico State Athletics Hall of Fame.[8] He died in 1991 at age 49 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.