Lionel James

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox NFL biography

Lionel "Little Train" James[1] (May 25, 1962 – February 25, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers. Undersized at Template:Convert and Template:Convert,[2][3] he spent his entire five-year NFL career with the Chargers from 1984 to 1988. His best year as a pro came during the 1985 season, when he set then-NFL season records for receiving yards by a running back and all-purpose yardage. He also led the American Football Conference (AFC) in receptions that year.

High school and college career

James was born in Albany, Georgia,[1] where he attended Dougherty High School, playing football, basketball, and running track. Because of his small stature of Template:Convert and Template:Convert, Auburn University was the only major college to recruit him.[3] He played college football for the Tigers, sharing the backfield with Bo Jackson.[4] James was Auburn's leading rusher with 561 yards in 1981, head coach Pat Dye's first year with the team. He ran for over 700 yards in consecutive seasons as a junior and senior.[5] James also led the team in all-purpose yardage in 1981 and 1982,[1] when he also led the nation in punt returns with a 15.8-yard average.[6] He was a captain in 1983,[1] when the Tigers won the Southeast Conference championship and the 1984 Sugar Bowl.[7] Auburn finished 11–1 and ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press.[8] James was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[9]

Professional career

File:Lionel James 1985.jpg
James with the Chargers c. 1985

James was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL draft.[5] In 1985, he set the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season with 2,535 yards. He also set the record for receiving yards by a running back with 1,027 yards,[10] becoming the first running back with a 1,000-yard receiving season in the league.[11] He led the AFC in receptions with 86, and led the Chargers in yardage from rushing (516), punt returns (213), and kickoff returns (779).Template:Efn[5] On November 10, 1985, James had his best day as a pro versus the Los Angeles Raiders. He gained 345 all-purpose yards including a career best 168 yards receiving and scored the winning touchdown in a 40–34 overtime victory.[10] The total yardage was second at the time only to the 373 yards by Billy Cannon in 1961, and remains a Chargers franchise record. He might have broken the record in an earlier game that season against the Cincinnati Bengals except for a Chargers penalty that cost him 89 yards of a 100-yard kickoff return. James finished that game with 316 yards.[12]

James missed nine games in 1986 with an ankle injury. He rebounded the following season to score a team-high six touchdowns, including an 81-yard punt return.[13] However, San Diego limited his opportunities after the ankle injury, playing him at wide receiver and less in the backfield, while also limiting him to punt returns and not kickoffs.[14] James was hampered by a hip flexor injury in 1988, although he still managed to catch 36 passes. He was waived during preseason in 1989, when the Chargers opted for a quicker running back, rookie Dana Brinson.[13] The Kansas City Chiefs claimed James, planning to use him primarily as a wide receiver.[11] They waived him days later after a failed physical examination due to his hip.[15][16]

James ended his career with 1,061 yards rushing and 2,278 receiving yards. He scored 16 career touchdowns, including two on punt returns.[5] He was voted as the kick returner on the Chargers 40th Anniversary Team.[17] His record for receiving yards by a running back was broken by Marshall Faulk (1,048) in 1999,[18] and his all-purpose yardage record was eclipsed in 2000 by Derrick Mason (2,690 yards).[19]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1984 SDG 16 2 25 115 4.6 20 0 23 206 9.0 31 0
1985 SDG 16 7 105 516 4.9 56 2 86 1,027 11.9 67 6
1986 SDG 7 1 51 224 4.4 24 0 23 173 7.5 18 0
1987 SDG 12 11 27 102 3.8 15 2 41 593 14.5 46 3
1988 SDG 16 1 23 105 4.6 23 0 36 279 7.8 31 1
67 22 231 1,062 4.6 56 4 209 2,278 10.9 67 10

Coaching career

James began his coaching career with stints at Terrell Middle High in Dawson, Georgia; Woodlawn High in Birmingham, Alabama; and Appalachian State.[20] He returned to Auburn to coach tight ends under head coach Terry Bowden from 1996 to 1997.[1] James left in 1998 to become the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.[21][22] He was the offensive coordinator of the Birmingham Steeldogs of the arenafootball2 in 2000,[23] and served as the running backs coach for the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL in 2001.[24]

Personal life

James graduated from Auburn with a degree in mathematics in 1989.[1] He was also a math teacher while he was coaching in high school. After his coaching career ended, he returned to teaching high school math in Birmingham.[8]

After a long illness, James died in Birmingham on February 25, 2022, at the age of 59.[1][8]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:San Diego Chargers 1984 draft navbox Template:NFL kickoff return yards leaders

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b Template:Cite magazine
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Lionel_James&oldid=3389184"