Joe James is a major part of the history of Oklahoma State Athletics as he would become the first black national champion in school history in any sport in 1964.

James arrived in Stillwater in 1961 fresh off finishing third in the heavyweight division at the 1960 Illinois high school state tournament.

James first got the chance to wrestle at the varsity level as a sophomore in 1962 and did so without losing a bout in a dual meet, going 12-0. James would go on to drop his first-round match in the Big Eight tournament before pinning every opponent in the consolation bracket on his way to a third-place finish in the conference. Later, James would advance all the way to the finals at heavyweight in the NCAA tournament.

He was 16-1-1 as a sophomore, including a victory over Eddie McQuarters of Oklahoma in the first matchup between two black wrestlers in Bedlam history. James would best McQuarters again in overtime of the Big Eight tournament to become the first black champion in conference history. He finished fourth at the NCAAs and went on to become the first Black wrestler from the United States to win gold at the Pan-American Games in 1963.

James went 19-0-1 in the regular season and cruised to his second-straight Big Eight championship in 1964. At the NCAA championships, James would finally break through and defeat Bob Billberg of Minnesota State-Moorhead in a 4-2 decision to win the NCAA heavyweight national championship, becoming only the second African American to win a heavyweight title.

James would finish his career at Oklahoma State with a 51-3-2 career record to go along with three All-America honors, two Big Eight Conference championships and the 1964 NCAA heavyweight title.