James Laurinaitis

James Laurinaitis

Laurinaitis in 2010
No. 55     St. Louis Rams
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1986-12-03) December 3, 1986
Place of birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 247 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school: Wayzata (MN)
College: Ohio State
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35
Debuted in 2009 for the St. Louis Rams
Career history
St. Louis Rams (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Consensus All-American (2006, 2007, 2008) Bronko Nagurski Trophy (2006) Dick Butkus Award (2007) Jack Lambert Award (2007, 2008) Lott Trophy (2008) Lowe's Senior CLASS Award (2008) NFL All-Rookie (2009) Rams Rookie of the Year (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2012
Tackles 518 Quarterback sacks 8.5 Interceptions 7 Forced fumbles 1 Pass deflections 21 Stats at NFL.com

James Richard Laurinaitis (born December 3, 1986) is an American football linebacker for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Laurinaitis played college football for Ohio State University, was a three-time consensus All-American, and was recognized as the top college linebacker. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

College career

Laurinaitis chases Brandon Minor during the 2008 Michigan–Ohio State rivalry game.

Laurinaitis attended The Ohio State University, where he played for coach Jim Tressel's Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 2005 to 2008. As a true freshman in 2005, he played in all 12 games eventually reaching No. 2 on the depth chart at strong-side linebacker behind Bobby Carpenter. After Carpenter broke a leg on the first play from scrimmage in their rivalry game against Michigan, Laurinaitis played the rest of that game, and also started in their Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame. At the end of the 2006 regular season, Laurinaitis led the team in tackles (115) and interceptions (5), and also had 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.

In 2006 Laurinaitis won the Nagurski Award as the nation's best defensive player, and was also named a finalist for the Butkus and Bednarik awards. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award for most outstanding college linebacker in 2007. He was also recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American in 2007, having been named to the first teams of multiple selectors including the Associated Press (AP), the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), FWAA, Sporting News, the Walter Camp Foundation, and Rivals.com. He was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Career statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	TT	Solo	Ast	TFL	Sack	PDef	INT	FF	FR	Hurr	BK	TD
2005	OSU	12	0	9	3	6	½	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
2006	OSU	13	13	115	53	62	8½	4	4	5	3	1	2	0	0
2007	OSU	13	13	121	51	70	8	5	1	2	0	1	0	0	0
2008	OSU	13	13	130	52	78	7	4	4	2	1	0	2	0	0
	Career	51	39	365	159	206	24	13	9	9	4	2	5	0	0

Professional career

Pre-draft measureables

Pre-draft measureables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 1⅞ in	244 lb	4.82 s	1.79 s	2.92 s	4.78 s	6.91 s	31 in	9 ft 7 in	17 reps	21
All values from NFL Combine, except 40-yd dash (and splits), 20-ss, and 3-cone, which are from Ohio State Pro Day

Laurinaitis playing in Denver on 11-28-2010.

Career statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	Sack	PDef	INT	FF	FR	Hurr	BK	TD
2009	STL	16	16	120	107	13	4	2	5	2	1	1	6	0	0
2010	STL	16	16	114	98	16	8	3	5	1	0	1	7	0	0
2011	STL	16	16	142	105	37	8	3	7	2	0	1	5	0	0
2012	STL	16	16	142	117	25	4	.5	4	2	0	1	2	0	0
	Career	64	64	518	427	91	24	8.5	21	7	1	4	20	0	0

Family

James is one of two children born to Joseph and Julie Laurinaitis and has a half-brother, Joseph, Jr., from his father's first marriage. Joseph, Jr. is a veteran of the Iraq War and training to become a police officer. His younger sister, Jessica, played on her high school hockey team and graduated from high school in 2008.

James' father Joe is a semi-retired World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE} professional wrestler better known by his ring name Road Warrior Animal, one half of legendary wrestling tag-team The Road Warriors, while his uncle John Laurinaitis is also a former professional wrestler.

External links

• James Laurinaitis on Twitter
• James Laurinaitis on Facebook
• James Laurinaitis Official Website
• Ohio State's Laurinaitis wins Bronko Nagurski Trophy College Football News Wire, December 4, 2006
• Depth Chart, The-Ozone.net