Lionel James, a fast, elusive running back nicknamed Little Train, who shared the backfield with Bo Jackson at Auburn University and set a single-season N.F.L. record for all-purpose yards that stood for 15 years, died on Feb. 25 in Birmingham, Ala. He was 59.
His wife, Kesha Mallory James, confirmed his death but did not specify the cause, saying only that it came after a long illness.
James used his speed and darting moves with the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers during the 1985 season to amass 2,535 yards from scrimmage: 516 as a running back, 1,027 as a receiver, 779 as a kick returner and 213 as a punt returner, surpassing the previous record set in 1975 by Terry Metcalf of the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals.
James was nearly unstoppable in a game late that season against the Los Angeles (now Las Vegas) Raiders. He piled up 345 all-purpose yards (the second most in a single game in league history until then), including a 34-yard touchdown pass from Dan Fouts in the third quarter and a 17-yard rushing touchdown that won the game, 40-34, in overtime.
“When I broke into the open,” James told The Los Angeles Times after the game, “I thought to myself, ‘This is like heaven.’”
At 5 feet 6.5 inches tall and 170 pounds, James was probably the smallest player in the league, making him difficult to spot as he slithered quickly past tall, meaty linemen. And his 33-inch vertical leap enabled him to be competitive for passes against taller defensive backs.
His size had not been a hindrance, in college or in the N.F.L.
“This is the way I figure it,” he told Sports Illustrated during the 1985 season. “If some guy’s bigger than me, then he’s not as fast, and if he’s as fast — then I guess it’s about time for me to get out of the league.”
James never came close to matching his record for all-purpose yards in his next three seasons, and shortly before the start of the 1989 season, the Chargers cut him in favor of a rookie with similar skills, Dana Brinson, who was a bit taller but whose career would soon fizzle out.
“I loved what he did the first couple of years,” San Diego’s new head coach, Dan Henning, said after releasing James, “and if I thought he could still do that, he’d still be here.”
Lionel James was born on May 25, 1962, in Albany, Ga. His father, Joseph, was a master electrician. His mother, Cherrine (Wright) James, was a high school physical education teacher.
After attending Dougherty High School, Lionel received a scholarship to Auburn. After rushing for 561 yards in 1981, he ran for 779 yards in 1982 when he teamed with Jackson, who had 829 yards.
In a game that November, with Auburn’s record 8-1, James took a pitch from quarterback Randy Campbell and was nearly caught in the backfield, but he broke free, cut to the left and raced untouched for an 87-yard touchdown, one of the longest in team history.
“The ball probably shouldn’t have been pitched,” Jack Crowe, Auburn’s offensive coordinator, said afterward, “because their guy was right in his face. Lionel just made him miss.”
Auburn took the lead but Georgia won, 19-14.
The next season — when James gained 728 yards and Jackson 1,213 — Auburn finished 11-1 and were ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press college football poll. They went on to defeat Michigan in the Sugar Bowl.
James was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 1984 N.F.L. draft. During his first training camp, he quickly showed that he was not intimidated.
“Train will stand up to anyone,” Coach Don Coryell told The Times. “He doesn’t back down to linebackers or lineman who are twice his size.”
In his five seasons with San Diego, James gained 6,619 yards from scrimmage, including 2,278 as a receiver, and 2,094 as a kick returner.
After his playing career, he opened a sporting goods store and taught math in schools in Dawson, Ga., and in Birmingham, where he also coached football.
Over the next few years, James was an assistant coach at Appalachian State University in North Carolina; the tight ends coach at Auburn under Coach Terry Bowden; and the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs under Marty Schottenheimer during the 1998 season, his only year with the team.
In early 1999, he was hospitalized for two months for pancreatitis.
After coaching in 2000 with the Birmingham Steeldogs of the AF2, the Arena Football League’s development league, and with the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL in 2001, James returned to teaching high school math in Birmingham for several years.
He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his mother; his daughters, Kasey James and Janet Jones; his son, Lionel II; two grandsons; a sister, Devorah Simon; and two brothers, Edgar and Tim.
Credit: Source link
