Lionel James, Speedy Back Who Covered a Lot of Turf, Dies at 59

Lionel James, a quick, elusive operating again nicknamed Little Prepare, who shared the backfield with Bo Jackson at Auburn College and set a single-season N.F.L. file for all-purpose yards that stood for 15 years, died on Feb. 25 in Birmingham, Ala. He was 59.

His spouse, Kesha Mallory James, confirmed his demise however didn’t specify the trigger, saying solely that it got here after a protracted sickness.

James used his velocity and darting strikes with the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers throughout the 1985 season to amass 2,535 yards from scrimmage: 516 as a operating again, 1,027 as a receiver, 779 as a kick returner and 213 as a punt returner, surpassing the earlier file set in 1975 by Terry Metcalf of the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals.

James was practically unstoppable in a sport late that season in opposition to the Los Angeles (now Las Vegas) Raiders. He piled up 345 all-purpose yards (the second most in a single sport in league historical past till then), together with a 34-yard landing move from Dan Fouts within the third quarter and a 17-yard speeding landing that received the sport, 40-34, in additional time.

“Once I broke into the open,” James advised The Los Angeles Occasions after the sport, “I believed to myself, ‘That is like heaven.’”

At 5 ft 6.5 inches tall and 170 kilos, James was in all probability the smallest participant within the league, making him tough to identify as he slithered rapidly previous tall, meaty linemen. And his 33-inch vertical leap enabled him to be aggressive for passes in opposition to taller defensive backs.

His dimension had not been a hindrance, in school or within the N.F.L.

“That is the way in which I determine it,” he advised Sports activities Illustrated throughout the 1985 season. “If some man’s greater than me, then he’s not as quick, and if he’s as quick — then I suppose it’s about time for me to get out of the league.”

James by no means got here near matching his file for all-purpose yards in his subsequent three seasons, and shortly earlier than the beginning of the 1989 season, the Chargers lower him in favor of a rookie with comparable expertise, Dana Brinson, who was a bit taller however whose profession would quickly fizzle out.

“I liked what he did the primary couple of years,” San Diego’s new head coach, Dan Henning, stated after releasing James, “and if I believed he may nonetheless do this, he’d nonetheless be right here.”

Lionel James was born on Might 25, 1962, in Albany, Ga. His father, Joseph, was a grasp electrician. His mom, Cherrine (Wright) James, was a highschool bodily training trainer.

After attending Dougherty Excessive College, Lionel obtained a scholarship to Auburn. After speeding for 561 yards in 1981, he ran for 779 yards in 1982 when he teamed with Jackson, who had 829 yards.

In a sport that November, with Auburn’s file 8-1, James took a pitch from quarterback Randy Campbell and was practically caught within the backfield, however he broke free, lower to the left and raced untouched for an 87-yard landing, one of many longest in staff historical past.

“The ball in all probability shouldn’t have been pitched,” Jack Crowe, Auburn’s offensive coordinator, stated afterward, “as a result of their man was proper in his face. Lionel simply made him miss.”

Auburn took the lead however Georgia received, 19-14.

The subsequent season — when James gained 728 yards and Jackson 1,213 — Auburn completed 11-1 and have been ranked No. 3 within the remaining Related Press school soccer ballot. They went on to defeat Michigan within the Sugar Bowl.

James was drafted by the Chargers within the fifth spherical of the 1984 N.F.L. draft. Throughout his first coaching camp, he rapidly confirmed that he was not intimidated.

“Prepare will stand as much as anybody,” Coach Don Coryell advised The Occasions. “He doesn’t again all the way down to linebackers or lineman who’re twice his dimension.”

In his 5 seasons with San Diego, James gained 6,619 yards from scrimmage, together with 2,278 as a receiver, and a couple of,094 as a kick returner.

After his enjoying profession, he opened a sporting items retailer and taught math in colleges in Dawson, Ga., and in Birmingham, the place he additionally coached soccer.

Over the following few years, James was an assistant coach at Appalachian State College in North Carolina; the tight ends coach at Auburn underneath Coach Terry Bowden; and the operating backs coach for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs underneath Marty Schottenheimer throughout the 1998 season, his solely 12 months with the staff.

In early 1999, he was hospitalized for 2 months for pancreatitis.

After teaching in 2000 with the Birmingham Steeldogs of the AF2, the Area Soccer League’s improvement league, and with the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL in 2001, James returned to instructing highschool math in Birmingham for a number of years.

He was inducted into the Alabama Sports activities Corridor of Fame in 2006.

Along with his spouse, he’s survived by his mom; his daughters, Kasey James and Janet Jones; his son, Lionel II; two grandsons; a sister, Devorah Simon; and two brothers, Edgar and Tim.