SAN DIEGO — Lionel "Little Train" James, who starred at Auburn and set NFL records for the San Diego Chargers, died Friday after a lengthy illness, the university said. He was 59.
James was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round in 1984 and played five seasons for the team. He was named team MVP in 1985 when he set league records with 1,027 receiving yards, the most ever by a running back, and 2,535 all-purpose yards. He led the team that year in yards gained via rushing, receiving, on punt returns and kickoff returns.
At Auburn, James led the Tigers in all-purpose yards in 1981 and 1982 and was a captain in 1983, when he shared the backfield with Bo Jackson.
"Lionel James defined Auburn football for a generation," former athletics director David Housel said in a school release. "Lionel James — the Little Engine That Could. All of the things you want to think Auburn football is about, Lionel James summarized. He wasn't big in stature, but he was big in heart, and he symbolized Auburn football for a generation or more."
James was born in Albany, Ga., and was nicknamed Little Train due to his size as well as his interest in Lionel electric trains. He didn't play football until the ninth grade and received only one scholarship offer from a major college — Auburn.
"Lionel was a special person," Randy Campbell, who quarterbacked Auburn's 1983 SEC championship team, said in the release from Auburn. "Thoughtful, kind, caring and the ultimate team player. He led by example and made everyone around him a better football player.
"He could turn a bad play into a great play like the 87-yard touchdown vs. Georgia in 1982. He should have been tackled at the line of scrimmage but made the guy miss and took it all the way. Little Train played in the greatest group of running backs in Auburn history with Bo, Tommie Agee and Brent Fullwood. He was my favorite because he was the underdog. We love Lionel and will miss him very much."
In 1987, Auburn's A-Day offensive MVP award was permanently named the Lionel James Offensive MVP Award. James was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
After his NFL career, James returned to Auburn and graduated in 1989, then coached tight ends on Terry Bowden's staff in 1996-97.
