James Mungro facts for kids

James Olevia Mungro II (born February 13, 1978) is a former American professional football player. He was a running back for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League (NFL). James played college football for the Syracuse Orange. He spent his entire NFL career with the Colts. He even won Super Bowl XLI with them! James retired from football because of a serious knee injury he got in 2006.

Early Life and High School Football

James Mungro grew up in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He went to East Stroudsburg South High School. He was an amazing football player there. He was named an All-America player by Parade and Street and Smith's magazines.

James was also named Pennsylvania Player-of-the-Year as a junior. He was chosen for the all-state team in his last two years. In his senior year, he ran for 2,541 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. He set a Pennsylvania state record for rushing yards in his career. He ran for 8,432 yards and had 9,513 total yards. James set 48 team records during his high school career. He was also named the team's MVP three times. Today, he lives in Camillus, New York, with his wife, Jessica.

College Football Career

James Mungro played college football for Syracuse University as a letterman for four years. He ran for 2,869 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. His best year was his senior year. He ran for 1,170 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. This was the third-best season for rushing yards in Syracuse history.

He was named the Offensive Player of the Game in the Insight.com Bowl. He ran for 112 yards in that game against Kansas State. As a junior, he ran for 797 yards and 7 touchdowns in 10 games. His average of 6.9 yards per rush was the third-best in school history.

As a sophomore, he ran for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was named the Music City Bowl MVP. In that game, he ran for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns against the University of Kentucky. One of his touchdowns was an amazing 86-yard run! As a freshman, he ran for 365 yards and 3 touchdowns. James studied physical education in college.

Playing in the NFL

After college, James Mungro was not chosen in the NFL draft. But the Detroit Lions signed him in 2002. He was later cut from the team. The Indianapolis Colts quickly signed him that same year. He became a backup player to Edgerrin James.

In his first year with the Colts, James Mungro scored eight touchdowns. He filled in for Edgerrin James, who was often injured. In his first game as a starter, he ran for 114 yards.

In 2003, James was a backup running back for seven games. He then had to stop playing because of a toe injury. In one amazing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he scored three touchdowns. These touchdowns helped the Colts come back from being down 35–14. They ended up winning the game 38–35 in overtime!

In 2004, James Mungro caught two of Peyton Manning's touchdown passes. One of these was Manning's 48th touchdown pass of the season. This tied an NFL record at the time.

James Mungro won a Super Bowl ring in 2006. His team, the Indianapolis Colts, won Super Bowl XLI.

After the 2006 season, the Colts did not sign James again. He was not on any NFL team's roster in 2007 or 2008. The Colts' General Manager, Bill Polian, later said that James Mungro had retired from the NFL. This was because of the serious knee injury he had.