Edgerrin James

Edgerrin Tyree James (; born August 1, 1978) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, receiving first-team All-Big East honors in 1998 and becoming the first player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. James was selected by fourth overall by the Colts in the 1999 NFL draft.

In his first season, James led the league in rushing yards, earning him AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. James went on to lead the league in rushing yards a second time while receiving four Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro selections. Following seven seasons in Indianapolis, James spent his next three years with the Arizona Cardinals and was a member of the team that made the franchise Super Bowl debut in Super Bowl XLIII. In his final season, he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

Obtaining over 10,000 yards during his career, James ranks 14th in all-time rushing. James also holds the Colts' franchise record for career rushing yards. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Early life Edgerrin Tyree James was born on August 1, 1978, in Immokalee, Florida. He attended Immokalee High School.

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts selected James in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft as the fourth overall pick. 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.

James quieted the critics and was an immediate success, and was named the 1999 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. James won the NFL rushing title in his first two seasons. 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.

James left Indianapolis as its all-time leading rusher with 9,226 yards. After James's departure in March 2006, the Colts won Super Bowl XLI the following season. Although he was not on the team at the time, Colts owner Jim Irsay still sent him a Super Bowl ring.

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 James signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals on March 23, 2006. 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. James said he would not come back to Arizona following the 2009 NFL playoffs, despite a year left on his contract. In the Cardinals' first playoff game since 1998, James averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round. 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. James rushed for 73 yards in the Cardinals' 32–25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. James rushed 9 times for 33 yards in the Cardinals' 27–23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.

His long-time girlfriend, the mother of his children, died of cancer in April 2009. After this, he asked for his release from the team, and the Cardinals honored his request on April 28.

Seattle Seahawks

After spending the 2009 offseason grieving with his four children and declining NFL offers, The team released running back T. J. Duckett to make room for James on the roster. However, James rushed for only 125 yards on a career-low 46 carries. He played in only seven games, and on November 3, 2009, Seattle cut him from the team. He had amassed 12,246 rushing yards (11th all-time at the time of his last game in 2009) and 80 rushing touchdowns (15th).

Colts franchise records Most career rushing yards (9,226) Best career rushing yards per game average: 96.1

Career statistics

NFL 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

College 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 28 497 2,960 6.0 32 42 595 14.2 3

Personal life James resides in Miami, Florida. He has six children, four of them with his long-time girlfriend Andia Wilson: Qui James has a bachelor's degree from Howard University and a juris doctor from the University of the District of Columbia. Eyahna James is an R&B singer who goes by the stage name Eyahna J. Edgerrin "Jizzle" James Jr. is on the basketball team at UNC Charlotte . Euro James. Andia Wilson died in 2009 from leukemia at the age of 30. Her death led to James's retirement from the NFL, so he could focusing on raising his children. James's other children are: Eden James, a running back for Howard. Emani James, who attends North Carolina A&T.

Edgerrin James is the second cousin of LA Chargers safety Derwin James.