LaMichael Keondrae "LaMike" James (born October 22, 1989) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

for the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...

and was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

in the second round of the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. 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 The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

that year and received the

Doak Walker Award Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...

. In 2011, he became Oregon's career rushing leader and rushed for a school-record 1,805 yards. He was considered to be one of the top running backs throughout his college career, with his 5,082 total rushing yards placing him 2nd in

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Divisi ...

history and 14th in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

history.

High school career

James attended

Liberty-Eylau High School Liberty-Eylau High School is a public high school located in Texarkana, Texas, United States near the unincorporated town of Eylau and classified as a 4A school by the UIL. It is part of the Liberty-Eylau Independent School District located in s ...

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 censu ...

, where he played running back. As a sophomore, he rushed for 643 yards and 10 touchdowns on 76 carries. In his junior season, he totaled 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns on 229 carries while adding 500 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 33 receptions. 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.

College career

2009 season

James attended the

, where he played for coach

Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl ga ...

's Oregon Ducks football team from 2009 to 2011. After the suspension of

LeGarrette Blount LeGarrette Montez Blount (; born December 5, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Commun ...

, James became the starting running back for the Ducks in 2009. He helped the Ducks to upset victories over

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

with 152 and 118 rushing yards, respectively. He again rushed for over 100 yards on October 10 against

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

with 152 yards on 20 carries. Once again, James eclipsed the 100 yard mark with 154 yards rushing on 15 carries against

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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.

2010 season

On March 9, 2010, head coach

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

'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 James' 2010 season, he 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. They played the top-ranked Auburn Tigers in the

2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. The finale of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series was ...

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 win.

2011 season

In the first game of the 2011 season against

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

, 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 4th 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 he 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." On December 2, 2011, James won the

Pac-12 Championship Game The Pac-12 Football Championship Game is an annual college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the champi ...

MVP, while rushing for 3 touchdowns. On January 2, 2012, James rushed for 159 yards on 25 carries with one touchdown to help Oregon beat Wisconsin 45–38 in the Rose Bowl. In an interview with

John Canzano John Canzano is an American sports columnist, radio talk show host on Portland's 750 AM "The Game". The show is also syndicated in Eugene. and Klamath Falls, Oregon. From 2002 to 2022, he was the lead sports columnist at ''The Oregonian'' and a ...

of ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'', James said of former Oregon Running Back coach Garry Campbell, "He’s authentic. When you have somebody that authentic, he’s not always going to tell you what you want to hear but he’s going to tell you what you need to hear...he’s a wonderful man on and off the field".

Track and field

James ran track while still in high school, winning the 2006 Texas 100 meter championship in 10.51 seconds. He was also the state runner-up in the 4x100 meter (42.28) and 4x400 meter (3:23.31) relay teams. He was also a track & field star at the

. Despite limited workouts with school's track team, he placed 5th in the 2010 Pac-10 championships at the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...

, posting a personal-best time of 10.50 seconds in the semifinals. He anchored 4x100 relay to 4th place and ran a personal-best time of 6.77 seconds in the

60 meters 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior ath ...

at the 2010 Washington Husky Invitational, placing 3rd in the finals.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

James was drafted in the second round with the 61st overall pick by the

in the

. His college success did not carry over to the NFL. During his rookie season, James played in his first career regular-season game against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

in Week 14. James finished the 27-13 victory with eight carries for 30 yards along with a 15-yard reception. In the next game against the New England Patriots, he had eight carries for 31 yards along with a 62-yard kickoff return after the Patriots had completed a 28-point comeback to tie the game 31-31, leading to a touchdown the next play for the 49ers. The 49ers won the game on the road by a score of 41-34. In the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons, James rushed five times for 34 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on a 15-yard rush as the 49ers won on the road by a score of 28-24 and reached

Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. In the game, James rushed thrice for 10 yards but lost a fumble as the 49ers narrowly lost to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

by a score of 34–31.

Miami Dolphins

James was signed to the

practice squad on September 30, 2014. He was promoted to the active roster on November 10, 2014, after a season-ending injury to left tackle Branden Albert. James was re-signed by the Dolphins on March 20, 2015. Prior to the 2015 season, he informed the media that he preferred to be addressed as "LaMike", stating his friends, family and teammates have always called him that. James was waived by the Dolphins on September 14, 2015.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Awards and honors

* 2010

finalist (3rd) * 2010 Premier Player of College Football Trophy finalist (3rd) * 2010 AFCA All-American * 2010 First-team AP All-American * 2010

FWAA The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media ou ...

All-American * 2010 WCFF All-American * 2010 First-team All- Pac-10 * 2010 Pac-10 First-team All-Academic * 2009 CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year * 2009 Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year * 2009 Sporting News Third-team All-American * 2009 AP Third-team All-American * 2009 Rivals.com Second-team All-MLG team * Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week, twice (October 31, 2009,

Personal life

James was born in

New Boston, Texas New Boston is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. Boston was named for an early storekeeper in the settlement, W.J. Boston. The coming of the railroads led to the location of two more Bostons. A depot was built about four miles north of ...

to Rosemary James.National Football League, Current Players
LaMichael James
Retrieved June 23, 2012. He was raised by his maternal grandma, Betty James, in

. Betty James died of cancer when LaMichael James was 17 years old, so he had to live by himself during his junior and senior years of high school.

Post-Football life

James turned himself into a restaurant franchise owner after his NFL playing days ended. As of 2022, he owned two

Killer Burger Killer Burger is an American restaurant chain. The company was founded by Thomas "TJ" Southard in Portland, Oregon. John Dikos currently serves as chief executive officer. There were 19 locations in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington as of April 2022, ...

stores in the state of Oregon, one located in Beaverton and the other located in Lake Oswego, and planned to open a third franchise store in the same city as his alma-mater, Eugene, Oregon.

References

External links

San Francisco 49ers profile

Oregon profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, LaMichael 1989 births Living people All-American college football players American football running backs Oregon Ducks football players People from Texarkana, Texas Players of American football from Texas San Francisco 49ers players Miami Dolphins players People from New Boston, Texas Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes