Edgerrin James
| Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||||||||
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| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College: | University of Miami | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1999 / round: 1 / pick: 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008 | |||||||||||||||
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Edgerrin Tyree James (Template:PronEng) (born August 1, 1978 in Template:City-state) is an American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.
College career
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 ranked second in all-time University of Miami rushing yards. He was the only running back in the university's history to post two consecutive seasons with 1000-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 current Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee.
Edgerrin will be inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame on April 23rd, 2009 at its 41st Annual Induction Banquet at Jungle Island in Miami !
NFL career
1999 NFL Draft
The Indianapolis Colts selected James in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft with the fourth overall pick.
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(* represents NFL Combine)
Indianapolis Colts
James signed a seven-year, $49 million rookie contract. Many critics believed that the Colts made a mistake by choosing James over the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams.[2] 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, before tearing his ACL six games into the 2001 season. After the 2002 season, where James failed to regain his form of 1999 and 2000, many believed that James would never recover from his knee injury.[citation needed] However, James rebounded well in 2003 and re-established his place as one of the top running backs in the NFL in 2004 and 2005, with over 1,500 rushing yards in both seasons.
James left Indianapolis as their all time leading rusher with 9,226 yards.
Arizona Cardinals
James signed a four-year deal with the Cardinals on March 12, 2006. James went through a stretch of 8 games out of the 08-09 season where he carried the ball only 11 times. Through this time Ken Whisenhunt brought him in as strictly a pass protector. In Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks, James carried the ball 14 times for 100 Yards. James has said he will not come back to Arizona following the 2009 NFL playoffs, despite a year left on his contract.[3] In the Cardinals first playoff game since 1998, James averaged 4.7 yards per carry and ran for 72 yards. 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 game.[4]
NFL records
James led the league in rushing during his rookie and sophomore season. He's currently the record holder for most total yards from scrimmage per game in a regular season career.
At 9,226 total yards as a Colt, James holds the Colts' team record for most career total yards rushing.
During a Monday night game against the Bears on October 15 2006, James carried the ball 36 times for only 55 yards. This set an NFL record as the most carries for an average gain of under 2 yards.[5]
James is currently first in career rushing yards among active players.[6]
Personal
James currently resides in Miami, Florida. He is unmarried and has a daughter. James was diagnosed early in his childhood with Lubaderma, a disease often found in African Americans. This condition causes change in the skin's pigment. Generally white splotches of skin appear on the skin and continue to spread.
James established the Edgerrin James Foundation, In 2000, he donated $250,000 to the University of Miami, which is the largest donation ever made to the university by one of its former athletes. James' younger cousin, Javarris James, is currently a junior running back for James' alma mater, the University of Miami.
James appeared in the music video for Trick Daddy's songs Nann Nigga, Take It To Da House, and "Shut Up." He was also the spokesperson and cover athlete for the football video game ESPN NFL Primetime 2002.
Edgerrin James and teammate Matt Leinart are co-owners of one of the largest indoor go-cart tracks in Arizona. James and Leinart are both huge race fans, and were spotted together in Daytona for the 2007 Daytona 500. There is talk of the two Cardinals' players buying their own team for the 2009/10 race season. [7]
References
- ^ *Edgerrin James, RB, Miami - 1999 NFL Draft Scout Profile, Powered by The SportsXchange
- ^ "1999 NFL draft re-visited". Fox Sports. 2007-04-24. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ James expecting to leave Cardinals
- ^ [1]>
- ^ Bears rally from 20 down to stun Cardinals - USATODAY.com
- ^ Edge says he won't slow down after 30 - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- ^ Matt Leinart Blog - Arizona Cardinals Quarterback
External links
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