James Joseph Valek (January 25, 1928 – September 4, 2005) was an American football player, coach, and executive. He served as the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1967 to 1970, compiling a record of 8–32. Valek also coached the New York Knights, of the Arena Football League, to a 2–10 record in 1988.