Weiss: Oregon's little back could prove to be huge

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - When the University of Oregon began recruiting LaMichael James out of Texarkana, Texas, he had no idea where Eugene was.

The compact 5-9, 185-pound redshirt sophomore running back just knew he wanted to get as far away as possible from a home life that was filled with turmoil.

Before James was born, his father Herbert Blackshear was shot and killed at age 32. Two weeks after he was born, his mother Rosemary gave him up. When he was a junior in high school, his maternal grandmother Betty James, who raised him since he was two weeks old, died of cervical cancer.

James was in the room when she passed. He was so devastated, he lived in his grandmother's house by himself for his senior year. But he was not by alone for long. Schools like Texas, TCU and Nebraska all paid a visit after he won the Texas 3-A 100-meter championship and began blossoming into a four-star prospect at Elyria Liberty High School, where he rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. But Texas never came calling, however, because the Longhorns felt James was too small to play in the their big back system.

Although James may not have passed the look test in Austin, Oregon coach Chip Kelly made a career at Division I-AA New Hampshire by identifying players like James who may be undersized, but can have a huge impact in a spread offense.

The Ducks have made recruiting Texas - a football hot bed - a priority since Kelly arrived in the Pacific Northwest four years ago.

"I think there were 407 kids who signed scholarships out of Texas last year," Kelly said. "So, Texas and Texas A&M can't take everybody. And you're going to miss on kids. Everybody does.

"We've taken a couple kids each year, and guys like Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and Josh Huff have been impact players for us."

James has quickly become the face of Oregon football.

He was named first-team All-American, was a Heisman finalist and a Pac-10 All-Academic choice for the second-ranked Ducks (12-0), who will play top-ranked SEC champion Auburn (13-0) for the BCS national championship Monday in nearby Glendale. James led the country in rushing and rushing touchdowns, gaining 1,682 yards in 281 carries for a 6.0 yards per carry average. He also scroed 22 TDs.

But the kid they call "LaHeisman" almost lost his identity two years ago.

When James was a true freshman playing on the scout team, he became so home sick, he packed his bags in the middle of the night and loaded them into a van, ready to return home, and transfer to TCU. At the last minute, Oregon coaches got wind of his plans. Then-head coach Mike Bellotti, Kelly and running backs coach Gary Campbell showed up at his dorm at 11:30 at night and calmed him down, convincing him to stick it out.

Previous Page 12 Next Page