 James in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 32 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1978-08-01)August 1, 1978 (age 47) Immokalee, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 219 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Immokalee | ||||||||||||||
| College | Miami (FL) (1996–1998) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1999: 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Edgerrin Tyree James (/ˈɛdʒərɪn/; born August 1, 1978) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Miami for theMiami Hurricanes. He was selected by theIndianapolis Colts fourth overall in the1999 NFL draft. James also played for theArizona Cardinals andSeattle Seahawks.
He was namedAP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 and earned fourPro Bowl selections and threeAll-Pro selections. James is the Colts' all-time leader in career rushing yards, and attempts. James is 14th on the all-time rushing list, and a member of the10,000 Yards rushing club. He was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020.[1]
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James was recruited out of Florida'sImmokalee High School by theUniversity of Miami. He proved to be one of the most successfulrunning backs in the school's history.
James ranks third in all-timeUniversity of Miami rushing yards. He was the only running back in school history to post two consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus rushing yards, and he ranks first in school history with the most 100-plus rushing games (14). All single season records held by James have since been broken by formerBaltimore Ravens running backWillis McGahee.
James was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame on April 23, 2009, at its 41st Annual Induction Banquet at Jungle Island in Miami.
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 1996 | Miami | 7 | 71 | 446 | 6.3 | 2 | 6 | 90 | 15.0 | 0 |
| 1997 | Miami | 10 | 184 | 1,098 | 6.0 | 13 | 19 | 250 | 13.2 | 1 |
| 1998 | Miami | 11 | 242 | 1,416 | 5.9 | 17 | 17 | 255 | 15.0 | 2 |
| Career[2] | 28 | 497 | 2,960 | 6.0 | 32 | 42 | 595 | 14.2 | 3 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Wonderlic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 30 in (0.76 m) | 8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.38 s | 1.49 s | 2.54 s | 3.88 s | 6.87 s | 19 | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[3][4] | ||||||||||||
TheIndianapolis Colts selected James in the first round of the1999 NFL draft as the fourth overall pick.[5] James signed a seven-year, $49 million rookie contract. Some critics believed that the Colts made a mistake by choosing James over the reigningHeisman Trophy winnerRicky Williams.[6]
James quieted the critics and was an immediate success, and was named the 1999NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by theAssociated Press.[7] James won the NFL rushing title in his first two seasons.[8][9] He was the last NFL player to win the rushing title in his rookie season beforeEzekiel Elliott. Six games into the 2001 season, he tore hisACL.
James had over 1,500 rushing yards in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons.[10][11]
James left Indianapolis as its all-time leading rusher with 9,226 yards.[12] After James's departure in March 2006, the Colts wonSuper Bowl XLI the following season.[13] Although he was not on the team at the time, Colts ownerJim Irsay still sent him a Super Bowl ring.[14]
On September 23, 2012, James was inducted into theIndianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during the week 3 game against theJacksonville Jaguars.
James signed a four-year, $30 million deal with theArizona Cardinals on March 23, 2006.[15] With the retirement ofCorey Dillon, James became the active leader in career rushing yards at the start of 2007, and remained so through his last game in November 2009 (though he would be passed byLaDainian Tomlinson by the end of the season). James went through a stretch of 10 games out of the 2008 season where he carried the ball only 20 times. Through this time,Ken Whisenhunt brought him in strictly as a pass protector. In week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks, James carried the ball 14 times for 100 yards.[16] James said he would not come back to Arizona following the 2009 NFL playoffs, despite a year left on his contract.[17] In the Cardinals' first playoff game since 1998, James averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round.[18] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, James rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals' upset victory over the heavily favored Carolina Panthers.[19] James rushed for 73 yards in the Cardinals' 32–25 win over thePhiladelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.[20] James rushed 9 times for 33 yards in the Cardinals' 27–23 loss to thePittsburgh Steelers inSuper Bowl XLIII.[21]
His long-time girlfriend, the mother of his children, died of cancer in April 2009.[22] After this, he asked for his release from the team, and the Cardinals honored his request on April 28.[23]
After spending the 2009 offseason grieving with his four children and declining NFL offers,[22] James finally agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with theSeattle Seahawks on August 24, 2009, missing the team's training camp.[24] The team releasedrunning backT. J. Duckett to make room for James on the roster.[25] However, James rushed for only 125 yards on a career-low 46 carries.[26] He played in only seven games, and on November 3, 2009, Seattle cut him from the team.[22]
On July 26, 2011, James announced his retirement from professional football.[27] He had amassed 12,246 rushing yards (11th all-time at the time of his last game in 2009)[28] and 80 rushing touchdowns (15th).[29]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1999 | IND | 16 | 16 | 369 | 1,553 | 4.2 | 72 | 13 | 62 | 586 | 9.5 | 54 | 4 |
| 2000 | IND | 16 | 16 | 387 | 1,709 | 4.4 | 30 | 13 | 63 | 594 | 9.4 | 60 | 5 |
| 2001 | IND | 6 | 6 | 151 | 662 | 4.4 | 29 | 3 | 24 | 193 | 8.0 | 27 | 0 |
| 2002 | IND | 14 | 14 | 277 | 989 | 3.6 | 20 | 2 | 61 | 354 | 5.8 | 23 | 1 |
| 2003 | IND | 13 | 13 | 310 | 1,259 | 4.1 | 43 | 11 | 51 | 292 | 5.7 | 17 | 0 |
| 2004 | IND | 16 | 16 | 334 | 1,548 | 4.6 | 40 | 9 | 51 | 483 | 9.5 | 56 | 0 |
| 2005 | IND | 15 | 15 | 360 | 1,506 | 4.2 | 33 | 13 | 44 | 337 | 7.7 | 20 | 1 |
| 2006 | ARI | 16 | 16 | 337 | 1,159 | 3.4 | 18 | 6 | 38 | 217 | 5.7 | 14 | 0 |
| 2007 | ARI | 16 | 16 | 324 | 1,222 | 3.8 | 27 | 7 | 24 | 204 | 8.5 | 26 | 0 |
| 2008 | ARI | 13 | 7 | 133 | 514 | 3.9 | 35 | 3 | 12 | 85 | 7.1 | 16 | 0 |
| 2009 | SEA | 7 | 0 | 46 | 125 | 2.7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 7 | 0 |
| Career | 148 | 135 | 3,028 | 12,246 | 4.0 | 72 | 80 | 433 | 3,364 | 7.8 | 60 | 11 | |
James resides inMiami, Florida. He has six children, four of them with his long-time girlfriend Andia Wilson:
Andia Wilson died in 2009 fromleukemia at the age of 30.[34] Her death led to James's retirement from the NFL, so he could focusing on raising his children.[35] James's other children are:
Edgerrin James is the second cousin ofLA Chargers safetyDerwin James.[36]
