Lionel James facts for kids
James with the San Diego Chargers c. 1988
|
|||||||||||||||
| No. 26 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | May 25, 1962 Albany, Georgia, U.S. |
||||||||||||||
| Died: | February 25, 2022 (aged 59) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 171 lb (78 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Dougherty (Albany, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Auburn | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1984 / Round: 5 / Pick: 118 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
Lionel "Little Train" James (born May 25, 1962 – died February 25, 2022) was an American professional football player. He was a running back for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League (NFL). He also played college football for the Auburn Tigers. Even though he was smaller than many players, at 5 feet 6 inches tall and 171 pounds, he played his entire five-year NFL career with the Chargers from 1984 to 1988. His best year was in 1985, when he set new NFL records. He gained the most receiving yards ever by a running back and the most all-purpose yardage in a season. He also caught the most passes in the American Football Conference (AFC) that year.
Contents
Early Life and College Football Career
Lionel James was born in Albany, Georgia. He went to Dougherty High School. There, he played football, basketball, and ran track. Because he was smaller than other players, at 5 feet 6 inches and 150 pounds, Auburn University was the only big college that wanted him to play.
He played college football for the Auburn Tigers. He shared the backfield with another famous player, Bo Jackson.
- In 1981, James was Auburn's top rusher with 561 yards. This was Pat Dye's first year as head coach.
- He ran for over 700 yards in both his junior and senior years.
- James also led the team in all-purpose yardage in 1981 and 1982.
- In 1982, he led the whole country in punt returns, averaging 15.8 yards per return.
- He was a captain in 1983. That year, the Tigers won the Southeast Conference championship. They also won the 1984 Sugar Bowl.
- Auburn finished that season with 11 wins and only 1 loss. They were ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press.
- In 2006, James was honored by being added to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional Football Career
The San Diego Chargers picked Lionel James in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Record-Breaking 1985 Season
In the 1985 season, James had an amazing year.
- He set an NFL record for all-purpose yardage with 2,535 yards. This means he gained yards from running, catching passes, and returning kicks.
- He also set a record for receiving yards by a running back with 1,027 yards. He was the first running back in the league to catch for over 1,000 yards in a season.
- He led the AFC with 86 receptions (catches).
- He led the Chargers in yards from rushing (516), punt returns (213), and kickoff returns (779).
- On November 10, 1985, James had his best game against the Los Angeles Raiders. He gained 345 all-purpose yards. This included a career-best 168 yards from catching passes. He also scored the winning touchdown in a 40–34 overtime victory.
- His total yardage in that game was the second-highest ever at the time. It is still a Chargers team record.
Later Career and Retirement
James missed nine games in 1986 because of an ankle injury. He played well again the next season. He scored a team-high six touchdowns, including an 81-yard punt return. However, the Chargers limited his playing time after his ankle injury. They played him more as a wide receiver and less as a running back. They also only let him return punts, not kickoffs.
In 1988, James had a hip injury. Even with the injury, he still caught 36 passes. He was released by the Chargers before the 1989 season. The Chargers wanted a faster running back. The Kansas City Chiefs then picked him up, hoping to use him as a wide receiver. But they released him a few days later after he failed a physical exam due to his hip injury.
Lionel James finished his career with:
- 1,061 rushing yards
- 2,278 receiving yards
- 16 career touchdowns, including two from punt returns
He was chosen as the kick returner for the San Diego Chargers 40th Anniversary Team. His record for receiving yards by a running back was broken in 1999 by Marshall Faulk. His all-purpose yardage record was broken in 2000 by Derrick Mason.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Lionel James became a coach.
- He coached at Terrell Middle High in Dawson, Georgia.
- He also coached at Woodlawn High in Birmingham, Alabama.
- He coached at Appalachian State.
- From 1996 to 1997, he returned to Auburn to coach tight ends under head coach Terry Bowden.
- In 1998, James became the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
- In 2000, he was the offensive coordinator for the Birmingham Steeldogs in the arenafootball2 league.
- In 2001, he coached running backs for the Birmingham Thunderbolts in the XFL.
Personal Life
Lionel James earned a degree in mathematics from Auburn in 1989. He was also a math teacher when he coached in high school. After his coaching career ended, he went back to teaching high school math in Birmingham.
After a long illness, Lionel James passed away in Birmingham on February 25, 2022. He was 59 years old.
