If you are building the Mount Rushmore of Oregon Ducks football players, you had better save a place for LaMichael James (b. Oct 22, 1989).
The speedy back from Texarkana, Texas carried plenty of strength on his five-foot, nine-inch frame and helped start the Chip Kelly era with a bang.
James three seasons in Eugene were perhaps the greatest stretch in Duck football history. From 2009-11 the Ducks had a combined record of 34-5, won three straight conference championships and made three trips to BCS bowls.
James was the first unanimous 1st team All-American and consensus 2-time All-American in program history.
He holds the Duck record for 200+ yard rushing games with seven. James ended up #2 on the Oregon All-time list in career rushing yards (5,082), All-purpose yards (5,869), rushing touchdowns (53), 100-yard rushing games (26) and total points scored (348).
It all started in 2009. James was named Pac-10 freshman of the year and Football Writers All-America, setting a conference freshman record with 1,546 yards.
2010 was an even bigger season. LaMichael James won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He led the nation in rushing with 1,733 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. 21 of those touchdowns were on the ground setting an Oregon single-season record. The Ducks won 12 games for the first time in program history and reached the BCS National Championship game.
LaMichael ended his Oregon career running for 1,805 yards in 2011. That’s the second-best single season mark for a Duck. The big game was versus Arizona, 288 yards rushing and a school-record 363 all-purpose yards. James’ Oregon career ended with 159 yards in a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
James three seasons of 1,500 yards or more on the ground ties him for first on the all-time collegiate list with names like Tony Dorsett, Herschel Walker, and Jonathan Taylor.
LaMichael was the 2nd round selection of the 49ers in the 2012 NFL draft and played three seasons in the league. His best work in the pros was returning kicks in San Francisco. In retirement, he enjoys his family and operating Killer Burger franchises around the state.
Later this year, he will enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
| Season | Rush yds | Rush TD | Total offense | Total TD | Honors |
| 2009 | 1,546 | 14 | 1,714 | 14 | Pac-10 offensive FR of the year |
| 2010 | 1,731 | 21 | 1,939 | 24 | Doak Walker/All-America/All-Pac-10 |
| 2011 | 1,805 | 18 | 2,015 | 19 | All-America/All-Pac-12 |
LAMICHAEL JAMES YEAR-BY-YEAR AT OREGON