1. Lionel "Little Train" James was an American professional football player who was a running back for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League.
27 Facts About Lionel James
1. 2.
Lionel James led the American Football Conference in receptions that year.
3.
Lionel James played college football for the Tigers, sharing the backfield with Bo Jackson.
4.
Lionel James was Auburn's leading rusher with 561 yards in 1981, head coach Pat Dye's first year with the team.
5.
Lionel James ran for over 700 yards in consecutive seasons as a junior and senior.
6.
Lionel James led the team in all-purpose yardage in 1981 and 1982, when he led the nation in punt returns with a 15.8-yard average.
7.
Lionel James was a captain in 1983, when the Tigers won the Southeast Conference championship and the 1984 Sugar Bowl.
8.
Lionel James was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
9.
Lionel James was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL draft.
10.
Lionel James set the record for receiving yards by a running back with 1,027 yards, becoming the first running back with a 1,000-yard receiving season in the league.
11.
Lionel James led the AFC in receptions with 86, and led the Chargers in yardage from rushing, punt returns, and kickoff returns.
12.
On November 10,1985, Lionel James had his best day as a pro versus the Los Angeles Raiders.
13.
Lionel James might have broken the record in an earlier game that season against the Cincinnati Bengals except for a Chargers penalty that cost him 89 yards of a 100-yard kickoff return.
14.
Lionel James missed nine games in 1986 with an ankle injury.
15.
Lionel James rebounded the following season to score a team-high six touchdowns, including an 81-yard punt return.
16.
Lionel James was hampered by a hip flexor injury in 1988, although he still managed to catch 36 passes.
17.
Lionel James was waived during preseason in 1989, when the Chargers opted for a quicker running back, rookie Dana Brinson.
18.
The Kansas City Chiefs claimed Lionel James, planning to use him primarily as a wide receiver.
19.
Lionel James ended his career with 1,061 yards rushing and 2,278 receiving yards.
20.
Lionel James scored 16 career touchdowns, including two on punt returns.
21.
Lionel James was voted as the kick returner on the Chargers 40th Anniversary Team.
22.
Lionel James began his coaching career with stints at Terrell Middle High in Dawson, Georgia; Woodlawn High in Birmingham, Alabama; and Appalachian State.
23.
Lionel James returned to Auburn to coach tight ends under head coach Terry Bowden from 1996 to 1997.
24.
Lionel James left in 1998 to become the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
25.
Lionel James was the offensive coordinator of the Birmingham Steeldogs of the arenafootball2 in 2000, and served as the running backs coach for the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL in 2001.
26.
Lionel James graduated from Auburn with a degree in mathematics in 1989.
27.
Lionel James was a math teacher while he was coaching in high school.