James W. Powers (February 29, 1928 â July 27, 2013) was an American professional football player and coach. He played professionally as a quarterback, defensive back and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Francisco 49ers from 1950 to 1953. He played college football for at the University of Southern California (USC). Powers served as the head football coach at Santa Monica City CollegeâÂÂnow known as Santa Monica CollegeâÂÂin Santa Monica, California from 1956 to 1971. His 1958 Santa Monica Corsairs football team compiled a 10âÂÂ0 record and defeated in the Junior Rose Bowl.