THE GREATEST RB YOU DON’T REMEMBER: LAMICHAEL JAMES

Matti Tenney - November 24, 2025 

2010-11 is a year that true Oregon fans will remember for a lifetime. The program had gone through some ups and downs throughout the first decade of the 21st Century, with highs of 5 10+ win seasons, but lows of 5 or 6 loss seasons and a bowl losing streak lasting from 2001 until 2007. In 2009, Oregon moved on from 14-year head coach Mike Bellotti and brought in University of New Hampshire’s offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. That year he would meet a 5’9”, 190lb kid from New Boston, Texas, LaMichael James.

A 4 star recruit out of high school, LaMichael was ranked the 12 best all-purpose back in the country. His senior year, he racked up 2,043 yards, 24 touchdowns, while averaging 8.9 yards per carry. He committed to the Ducks over huge SEC programs like Georgia and Florida to play second fiddle to eventual Super Bowl Champion LaGarrette Blount.

That was the plan at least, but a wrench was thrown in the mix when after the first game of the 2009 season against Boise State, Blount punched defensive end Byron Hout in the face. Blount was suspended the remainder of the season, and the rock was given to true freshman LaMichael James. That season, the Ducks would go 10-3, losing the Rose Bowl and starting a haunting tradition of losing to Ohio State in big bowl games.

LaMichael had a great year, rushing for over 100 yards in 9 of 12 games (7 of those in a row), and 150+ in 6 of those. He reached the endzone 14 times with 4 multi-touchdown games, and earned Pac-10 All-Conference honors. But it was his sophomore year that every Duck fan will remember.

2010 was the second year of the Chip Kelly Experience. Throughout his time at Oregon, and even into Mark Helfrich’s tenure, the slogan plastered around the stadium, campus, and even merch, was “Win The Day”. Fast, hard, finish. It was exactly how Kelly ran his team. The defense was explosive, the offense showed no mercy, and as a team they did win. Every game of the regular season. A perfect 12-0 season where they held the #1 spot in the rankings for 7 consecutive weeks. They even outscored their opponents 592-221. 

They scored over 35 points in every game besides a 15-13 blip against Cal, scored over 50 6 times, and even 72 and 69 point victories over New Mexico and Portland State. Oregon had weapons all over the field, names you unfortunately don’t hear much today. On offense you had Darron Thomas slinging the ball for 2,881 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 9 picks. Jeff Maehl caught 77 passes for 1,076 yards and 12 scores while averaging 14 yards per catch. The defense had guys like John Boyette, Cliff Harris, Talmadge Jackson III, and Clay Matthews’ brother Casey, who had 79 tackles that season.

But there was one man who stole the spotlight. LaMichael went super saiyan. On 294 carries, LaMichael ran for 1,731 yards, another 200 through the air, scored 21 touchdowns on the ground, and 3 in the air. He rushed over 100 yards in all but 3 games, 2 of which were 90+ yard games. He rushed well over 200 yards 3 times, and had 8 multi-touchdown games (including 3 3-TD games).

By the end of the season, the Ducks were undefeated but had dropped from #1 to #2 behind Cam Newton’s Auburn Tigers. Before we get to that BCS Championship game, let's talk awards. LaMichael received the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation. He also made the final 3 of the Heisman Trophy. Alongside fellow Pac-10 mate Andrew Luck, James watched as transfer Cam Newton won the Heisman trophy over them both, James receiving 3rd place.

A few weeks after the ceremony, as the calendar turned to 2011, the Ducks took on the Tigers for the crystal football. Neither team was able to score until the 2nd quarter, when Oregon drew first blood with a field goal, shortly followed by a 35-yard strike from Newton to put the first touchdown on the board. James would catch an 8-yard score from Thomas and they would convert for 2-points, before a 7 minute scoring drought for both teams. With 3 and a half minutes left in the first half, Auburn managed to score a safety which they followed up with another 30-yard touchdown pass from Newton, making it 16-11 at half time.

Auburn opened up the second half with a field goal, extending their lead to 8, when James would catch his 2nd touchdown of the day. The Ducks made another 2-point conversion, and with 2:33 left, Superman came to play. Starting on their own 26, Auburn marched down the field, including an incomplete tackle from the Ducks that turned into a 37-yard run to keep the drive alive. Auburn would make it all the way to the Oregon 1-yard line, and as the clock expired Wes Byrum hit a 19-yard field goal to give the Ducks their first loss and win the BCS National Championship.

While he was not very successful on the ground, only rushing for just 49 yards, James’ two touchdown receptions kept the dream alive for Oregon as long as they could. While the taste of defeat was bitter, the 2010 season for the Ducks was one for the books.

In his Junior year, LaMichael would improve his yardage numbers, rushing for 1,805 with a 7.3 yards per carry ratio. He scored 18 on the ground and 1 in the air that year, a slight decline from his 2010 campaign, but still found himself in the top 10 of Heisman voting by the end of the year, finishing 10th as Robert Griffin III would win it, handing Andrew Luck back to back 2nd place finishes in 2010 and 2011. 

James would get drafted to the San Francisco 49ers, and would later play for Miami Dolphins before retiring from football in 2015. In 2023, LaMichael James was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Over 3 years in Eugene, he rushed for 5,082 yards, had 586 receiving yards, scored 53 touchdowns on the ground, 4 in the air, averaged 6.6 yards per carry, and will be remembered by any Duck fan old enough to have been lucky enough to follow the college career of #21 in the green and yellow.

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