J. C. Watts

J. C. Watts
Watts in September 2003
Chair of the House Republican Conference
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2003
Leader	Dennis Hastert
Vice Chair	Tillie Fowler Deborah Pryce
Preceded by	John Boehner
Succeeded by	Deborah Pryce
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 4th district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Dave McCurdy
Succeeded by	Tom Cole
Personal details
Born	Julius Caesar Watts Jr. (1957-11-18) November 18, 1957 (age 66) Eufaula, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Frankie Jones ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	6, including Trey
Education	University of Oklahoma (BA)
Football career
A football from the Oklahoma Sooners and signed by the team. Notable signatures include Billy Sims (1978 Heisman Trophy winner) and J. C. Watts. On the white quarter of the football an inscription to Ford was written in red.
Career information
Position(s)	Quarterback
College	Oklahoma
Career history
As player
1981–1986	Ottawa Rough Riders
1986	Toronto Argonauts
Honors	Grey Cup MVP (1981) Japan Bowl MVP (1981)

Julius Caesar Watts Jr. (born November 18, 1957) is an American politician, clergyman, and former football player. Watts played as a quarterback in college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and later played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing Oklahoma's 4th congressional district.

Watts was born and raised in Eufaula, Oklahoma, in a rural impoverished neighborhood. After being one of the first children to attend an integrated elementary school, he became a high school quarterback and gained a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. He graduated from college in 1981 with a degree in journalism and became a football player in the Canadian Football League until his retirement in 1986.

Watts became a Baptist minister and was elected in 1990 to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as the first African-American in Oklahoma to win statewide office. He successfully ran for Congress in 1994 and was re-elected to three additional terms with increasing vote margins. Watts delivered the Republican response to Bill Clinton's 1997 State of the Union address and was elected Chair of the House Republican Conference in 1998. He retired in 2003 and turned to lobbying and business work, also occasionally serving as a political commentator.