Wikipedia

Edgerrin James

Edgerrin Tyree James (/ˈɛdʒərɪn/; born August 1, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami for the Miami Hurricanes. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL draft. James also played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

Edgerrin James
refer to caption
James with the Colts in 2004
No. 32
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1978-08-01) August 1, 1978 (age 46)
Immokalee, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:Immokalee
College:Miami (FL) (1996–1998)
NFL draft:1999 / round: 1 / pick: 4
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:3,028
Rushing yards:12,246
Rushing touchdowns:80
Receptions:433
Receiving yards:3,364
Receiving touchdowns:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame

He was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 and earned four Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pro selections. James is the Colts' all-time leader in career rushing yards, attempts, and touchdowns. James is 13th on the all-time rushing list, and a member of the 10,000 Yards rushing club. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020.[1]

College career

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James with the Miami Hurricanes in October 1997

James was recruited out of Florida's Immokalee High School by the University of Miami. He proved to be one of the most successful running backs in the school's history.

James ranks third in all-time University 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 former Baltimore Ravens running back Willis 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.

College statistics

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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

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
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 from NFL Combine[3][4]

Indianapolis Colts

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The Indianapolis Colts selected James in the first round of the 1999 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 reigning Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams.[6]

James quieted the critics and was an immediate success, and was named the 1999 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated 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 before Ezekiel Elliott. Six games into the 2001 season, he tore his ACL.

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 won Super Bowl XLI the following season.[13] Although he was not on the team at the time, Colts owner Jim Irsay still sent him a Super Bowl ring.[14]

On September 23, 2012, James was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during the week 3 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Arizona Cardinals

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James signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals on March 23, 2006.[15] With the retirement of Corey 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 by LaDainian 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 the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.[20] James rushed 9 times for 33 yards in the Cardinals' 27–23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super 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]

Seattle Seahawks

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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 the Seattle Seahawks on August 24, 2009, missing the team's training camp.[24] The team released running back T. 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]

Colts franchise records

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  • Most career rushing yards (9,226)[30]
  • Most career rushing touchdowns (64)[30]
  • Best career rushing yards per game average: 96.1[30]
  • Most seasons with 1,000 rushing yards (5)[31]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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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

Personal life

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James currently resides in Miami, Florida. He has six children, including Eden, a running back committed to Howard, and Edgerrin Jr., who is a four-star basketball recruit in the class of 2023, committed to the University of Cincinnati. On April 14, 2009, Andia Wilson, James' long-time girlfriend and the mother of four of his children, died from leukemia at the age of 30.[32] He is the second cousin of current LA Chargers safety Derwin James.[33]

References

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  1. ^ Legwold, Jeff (February 1, 2020). "Steelers' Troy Polamalu, Colts' Edgerrin James elected to Hall of Fame". ESPN. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Edgerrin James College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  3. ^ *Edgerrin James, RB, Miami - 1999 NFL Draft Scout Profile, Powered by The SportsXchange Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Edgerrin James, Combine Results, RB - Miami (FL)". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "1999 NFL draft re-visited". Fox Sports. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  7. ^ "AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  8. ^ "1999 NFL Rushing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "2000 NFL Rushing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Edgerrin James 2004 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "Edgerrin James 2005 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "Indianapolis Colts Career Rushing Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "Super Bowl XLI - Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears - February 4th, 2007". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Colts to welcome ex-RB James to Ring of Honor". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 24, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Thompson, Carmen Renee (September 25, 2006). "Get In Line". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - December 28th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "Edgerrin not expecting to return to Cards in '09". ESPN.com. January 2, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "Wild Card - Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals - January 3rd, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  19. ^ "Divisional Round - Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers - January 10th, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  20. ^ "NFC Championship - Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - January 18th, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals - February 1st, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Dorsey, David (January 6, 2010). "Edgerrin James eyes return to playing". The News-Press. Retrieved February 3, 2010. [dead link‍]
  23. ^ Clayton, John (April 28, 2009). "Cardinals finally grant RB James his release". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  24. ^ "Edgerrin James lands in Seattle | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. August 24, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  25. ^ "Seahawks dump Duckett | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. August 24, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  26. ^ "Edgerrin James 2009 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  27. ^ "Edgerrin James announces retirement from NFL". Procanes.com. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  28. ^ Rushing yards, 2009 leaderboard (LaDainian Tomlinson had passed him by the end of the season)
  29. ^ Rushing TDs, 2009 leaderboard
  30. ^ a b c "Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts Career Rushing Leaders". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  31. ^ "Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts Single-Season Rushing Leaders". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  32. ^ "Edgerrin James' girlfriend, mother of his 4 kids, dies of leukemia". Naples Daily News. April 19, 2009. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009.
  33. ^ Sonnone, Brendan (February 3, 2015). "Meet FSU safety signee Derwin James". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
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