LaMichael James

LaMichael Keondrae "LaMike" James (born October 22, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

He was considered to be one of the top running backs throughout his college career, with his 5,082 total rushing yards placing him second in Pac-12 Conference history and 14th in NCAA history.

James attended Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas, where he played running back.

As a sophomore, James had 76 carries for 643 yards and 10 touchdowns.

In his junior season, James had 229 carries for 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 33 receptions for 500 yards and three touchdowns.

James continued his dominance during his senior campaign to the tune of 2,043 yards and 24 touchdowns on 230 touches, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, James was listed as the No. 12 all-purpose back in the nation in 2008.

James attended the University of Oregon, where he played for coach Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks football team from 2009 to 2011.

After the suspension of LeGarrette Blount, James became the starting running back for the Ducks in 2009.

He helped the Ducks to upset victories over Utah and California with 152 and 118 rushing yards, respectively.

James again rushed for over 100 yards on October 10 against UCLA with 152 yards on 20 carries.

Once again, James eclipsed the 100 yard mark with 154 yards rushing on 15 carries against Washington on October 24, and on October 31 with 183 yards to upset then #5 USC.

He led all BCS-conference running backs with 6.9 yards per carry.

On December 7, 2009, James was named Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,731 yards, the highest in the nation.

He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy that year and received the Doak Walker Award.

On March 9, 2010, head coach Chip Kelly announced that James would be suspended for the season opening game of the 2010 season, following his guilty plea for physical harassment against his former girlfriend.

Against Portland State, James rushed for 227 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns in a 69–0 shutout win, the Ducks' second shutout on the year.

The next week, against Arizona State, James was held to only 94 rushing yards, but the total was enough to move James past the 2,000 yard mark for his career.

Against the Arizona Wildcats, James rushed for 126 yards, 2 touchdowns and surpassed LeGarrette Blount's single season scoring record.

James had a season high against the Stanford Cardinal by garnering 3 touchdowns, and 257 yards on 31 rushes.

Over the course of the season, James had eclipsed the century mark 9 times, only failing to reach 100 yards twice.

All in all James has had 18 100+ rushing yard games in his career, a record at the University of Oregon.

Despite missing the first game of the 2010 season due to suspension, James managed to break the Pac-10 all-time sophomore single season rushing record and led the country in both rushing yards (1,682) and touchdowns (22), ultimately earning a trip to the annual Heisman Ceremony in New York as a finalist.

Following the 2010 season, James received the Doak Walker award, given to best running back in the country, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

He was also a Pac-12 All-Academic selection.

The Ducks finished regular season play undefeated (12-0) and ranked No. 2 in both the BCS and the AP poll.

In 2011, James became Oregon's career rushing leader and rushed for a school-record 1,805 yards.

They played the top-ranked Auburn Tigers in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona.

In that game, James had two touchdown receptions, including one that set up the game-tying two-point conversion.

Nevertheless, James' season ended with disappointment when Auburn kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired for a 22–19 victory.

In the first game of the 2011 season against LSU, James became Oregon's career rushing leader, surpassing the mark previously set by Derek Loville.

In the third game of the season against Missouri State, James ran for 204 yards and three touchdowns, which was his fourth career 200+ yard rushing game.

On September 24 in a game against Arizona, James rushed for an Oregon single game record of 288 yards on 24 carries.

On October 6, 2011, in a game against California, James fell awkwardly on his right arm and left with an air cast.

After the game, it was announced that X-rays were negative for a break and that James had suffered a dislocated elbow but popped it back into place before leaving the field.

During the post game interview James' health for the next game came into question.

James' response to questions about his health was: "I could tear all of my ACLs and I'll still play."

He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

James has also played for the Miami Dolphins.