 James with theSan Diego Chargersc. 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 26 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1962-05-25)May 25, 1962 Albany, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | February 25, 2022(2022-02-25) (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: 5th round, 118th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Lionel "Little Train"James[1] (May 25, 1962 – February 25, 2022) was an American professionalfootball player who was arunning back for theSan Diego Chargers in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theAuburn Tigers. Undersized at 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) and 171 pounds (78 kg),[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 andall-purpose yardage. He also led theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) inreceptions that year.
James was born inAlbany, Georgia,[1] where he attendedDougherty High School, playing football,basketball, and runningtrack. Because of his small stature of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) and 150 pounds (68 kg),Auburn University was the only major college torecruit him.[3] He playedcollege football for theTigers, sharing the backfield withBo Jackson.[4] James was Auburn's leadingrusher with 561 yards in1981, head coachPat 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 inall-purpose yardage in 1981 and1982,[1] when he also led the nation inpunt returns with a 15.8-yard average.[6] He was acaptain in1983,[1] when the Tigers won theSoutheast Conference championship and the1984 Sugar Bowl.[7] Auburn finished 11–1 and ranked No. 3 by theAssociated Press.[8] James was inducted into theAlabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[9]
James was selected by theSan Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the1984 NFL draft.[5] In1985, 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 theAFC in receptions with 86, and led the Chargers in yardage from rushing (516), punt returns (213), andkickoff returns (779).[a][5] On November 10, 1985, James had his best day as a pro versus theLos Angeles Raiders. He gained 345 all-purpose yards including a career best 168 yards receiving and scored the winningtouchdown in a 40–34 overtime victory.[10] The total yardage was second at the time only to the 373 yards byBilly Cannon in 1961, and remains a Chargers franchise record. He might have broken the record in an earlier game that season against theCincinnati Bengals except for a Chargers penalty that cost him 89 yards of a 100-yard kickoff return. James finished that game with 316 yards.[13]
James missed nine games in1986 with an ankle injury. He reboundedthe following season to score a team-high six touchdowns, including an 81-yard punt return.[14] However, San Diego limited his opportunities after the ankle injury, playing him atwide receiver and less in the backfield, while also limiting him to punt returns and not kickoffs.[15] James was hampered by ahip flexor injury in1988, although he still managed to catch 36 passes. He waswaived during preseason in1989, when the Chargers opted for a quicker running back, rookieDana Brinson.[14] TheKansas 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.[16][17]
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 theChargers 40th Anniversary Team.[18] His record for receiving yards by a running back was broken byMarshall Faulk (1,048) in 1999,[19] and his all-purpose yardage record was eclipsed in 2000 byDerrick Mason (2,690 yards).[20]
| 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 | ||
James began his coaching career with stints at Terrell Middle High inDawson, Georgia;Woodlawn High inBirmingham, Alabama; andAppalachian State.[21] He returned to Auburn to coachtight ends under head coachTerry Bowden from 1996 to 1997.[1] James left in 1998 to become the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.[22][23] He was theoffensive coordinator of theBirmingham Steeldogs of thearenafootball2 in 2000,[24] and served as the running backs coach for theBirmingham Thunderbolts of theXFL in 2001.[25]
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]
