James Marie Hopper (1876–1956) was an American novelist and short story writer whose career uniquely spanned both literature and collegiate athletics. Born in July 1876, Hopper attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played college football during the late 1890s. He subsequently transitioned into coaching, serving as the head football coach at Nevada State University (now the University of Nevada, Reno) in 1900, and later returning to coach his alma mater, California, in 1904. Alongside his athletic pursuits, Hopper was an exceptionally industrious writer. Over the course of his career, he published six novels and approximately 450 short stories, establishing a significant footprint in early twentieth-century American fiction.
