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INDIANAPOLIS –Edgerrin James was one of the most unforgettable players in the club's Indianapolis era.
The all-time leading Colts rusher was one of the sturdiest and most productive players ever to wear the Horseshoe.
A player never is defined only by numbers since the human part of competition is so prominent. James was loved by his teammates and coaches. He also struck a very strong chord with Colts fans everywhere.
James is being inducted on Sunday in the Colts' Ring of Honor, alongside eight people previously enshrined – Robert Irsay, Bill Brooks, Chris Hinton, Jim Harbaugh, Ted Marchibroda, the 12th Man, Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison.
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Below is a look at his statistical accomplishments, proof that in addition to this being a well-deserved honor that James is one of the most outstanding NFL rushers ever.
Please see Colts.com on Friday morning for more coverage of James' induction. Tomorrow's installment includes his thoughts on a number of subjects about playing for the team, as well as what those around him had to say about an unforgettable player and person.
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EDGERRIN JAMES CAREER NOTES
James(49) holds the club record for most 100+ rushing games. James was 30-138 vs. Miami 9/15/02 to set the franchise record he shared withEric Dickerson, and his total more than doubled than Dickerson (24). James finished with 57 100+ rushing games, ranking among the NFL leaders (78, Emmitt Smith; 77, Walter Payton; 76, Barry Sanders; 64, Eric Dickerson; 61, Jerome Bettis; 58, Jim Brown; 57, Curtis Martin).
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James (57) ranks T7th in NFL career 100+ games (78, Emmitt Smith(226 games; .345); 77, Walter Payton(190 games; .405); 76, Barry Sanders(153 games; .497); 64, Eric Dickerson(146 games; .438); 61, Jerome Bettis(192 games; .318); 58, Jim Brown(118 games; .492); 57, Curtis Martin(168 games; .339); 57, Edgerrin James(148 games; .385).
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James(9,226) is the 5th Colts RB to top 5,000 career rushing yards (5,487, Lydell Mitchell; 5,320, Marshall Faulk; 5,194, Eric Dickerson; 5,174, Lenny Moore).
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James had four 1,500+-yard rushing seasons (1,709, 2000; 1,553, 1999; 1,548, 2004; 1,506, 2005) to rank T2nd-most in NFL history (5, Barry Sanders; 4, Walter Payton; 4, Eric Dickerson).
James(25 100+ games in first 40 outings) reached 25 career 100+ rushing games faster than any NFL player, a record that still stands. The record prior to James was 41 games by Earl Campbell, followed by Eric Dickerson (42), Jim Brown (47), Terrell Davis (51) and Walter Payton (54). James reached 35 100+ games in 70 outings, the 2nd-fastest pace to that total (59, Dickerson), a mark that still stands. When James reached 25 career 100+ games, he was the 28th NFL player to do so, and he was the 16th with 35 career 100+ games. James reached his 50th 100+ game in his 108th outing, still the 3rd-fastest pace to that plateau (83, Dickerson; 102, Brown, 108, James; 114, Sanders; 117, Payton; 129, Smith; 130, Bettis; 143, Martin).
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James won the rushing title as a rookie with 1,553 yards and won it his second year with 1,709 yards, joining Bill Paschal (1943-44), Jim Brown (1957-58), Earl Campbell (1978-79) and Eric Dickerson (1983-84) as the only players to win consecutive rushing titles to open a career.
James (1999-2000) is one of 12 players ever to win consecutive rushing titles (Bill Paschal, 1943-44; Steve Van Buren, 1947-49; Joe Perry, 1953-54; Jim Brown, 1957-61, 63-65; Jim Nance, 1966-67; O.J. Simpson, 1972-73, 75-76; Earl Campbell, 1978-80; Eric Dickerson, 1983-84; Emmitt Smith, 1991-93; Barry Sanders, 1996-97; LaDainian Tomlinson, 2006-07).
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James entered the 2003 season with 26 100+ rushing games and 26 sub-100+ rushing games and was held to 67 yards at Cleveland 9/7. That put his career ratio of 100+ games to sub-100+ games at 26:27, the first time his career ratio of sub-100+ games exceeded 100+ games. The 53-game career-opening streak of keeping a career ratio on the plus side then marked the best ever by an NFL RB. His career ratio with the Colts was 49:47 (100+ games:sub-100+ games).
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James averaged 100+ rushing outings in 51 percent of his games with the club (49 in 96). At the time of his departure from the club, it was the best percentage in NFL history among players with 35+ career 100+ outings (49.7, Barry Sanders, 76 in 153; 49.2, Jim Brown, 58 in 118; 43.8, Eric Dickerson, 64 in 146; 40.5, Walter Payton, 77 in 190).
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James had 10 100+ rushing games in 1999, 9 in 2000 and 9 in 2005 for the top seasonal performances in Colts history.
Jameshad 25 career 150+ yds/scrimmage games, 1st in Colts history, surpassingRB-Lenny Moore(16). He had 6 career 200+ yds/scrimmage games, the most in Colts history.
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James averaged 125.7 scrimmage yards per game throughout his Colts career (12,065 yards in 96 games). At the time of his departure from the club, it was the best mark in NFL history among performers with 60+ career games (125.5, Jim Brown, 14,811 in 118 games).
James tallied 100+ scrimmage yards in 75 of 96 games with Colts. When James posted 4,442 scrimmage yards in his first two seasons (1999-2000), it marked then the 2nd-highest career-opening NFL total (4,456, Eric Dickerson, 1983-84).
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James (2,544) is 1 of 11 Colts with 1,000+ career touches (1,689, Lydell Mitchell; 1,686, Marshall Faulk; 1,451, Tom Matte; 1,432, Lenny Moore; 1,396, Eric Dickerson; 1,286, Joseph Addai; 1,154, Randy McMillan; 1,112, Marvin Harrison; 1,103, Don McCauley; 1,065, Alan Ameche).
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James had 42 touches vs. NYJ 11/16/03 to tie the club mark of Lydell Mitchell (at NYJ 10/20/74).
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James(2,188-9,226, 64 TDs rushing for Colts career) ranks 1st in Colts career attempts, breaking the record of Lydell Mitchell(1,391) vs. New England 11/30/03. He ranks 1st in Colts career yards, breaking the record of Mitchell (5,487) vs. NYJ 11/16/03. He ranks 1st in Colts career rushing touchdowns, breaking the record of Lenny Moore vs. San Diego 12/18/05.
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James reached 9,000 career rushing yards vs. Tennessee 12/4/05 in his 93rd game, then the 3rd-fastest pace to 9,000 yards in NFL history (82, Eric Dickerson; 88, Jim Brown; 94, Barry Sanders; 94, Emmitt Smith).
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The Coltswere 41-6 in games when James scored a touchdown of any kind. The team was 43-6 when he rushed for 100+ yards. The team was 34-7 in games where he had 25+ rushes. The team was 27-8 when he had 35+ touches (rushes/receptions). The team was 20-5 when he had 150+ scrimmage yards. The Colts were 70-26 in games when James played and 7-9 in games without him (1999-2005). The Colts never qualified for the playoffs in seasons where James missed more than three games.
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James had 205 career rushes of 10+ yards, 86 of 15+ yards, 39 of 20+ yards and had rushes of 10+ yards in 86 of 96 games with Colts.
James had six 300+-touch seasons with Colts (450, 2000; 431, 1999; 404, 2005; 385, 2004; 338, 2002, 301, 2003).
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James (80) is 18th in NFL career rushing touchdowns (164, Emmitt Smith; 145, LaDainian Tomlinson; 123, Marcus Allen; 110, Walter Payton; 106, Jim Brown; 104, John Riggins; 100, Marshall Faulk; 100, Shaun Alexander; 99, Barry Sanders; 91, Franco Harris; 91, Jerome Bettis; 90, Curtis Martin; 90, Eric Dickerson; 86, Priest Holmes; 83, Jim Taylor; 82, Corey Dillon; 81, Ottis Anderson).
James (12,246) ranks 11th in NFL career rushing yards (18,355, Emmitt Smith; 16,726, Walter Payton; 15,269, Barry Sanders; 14,101, Curtis Martin; 13,684, LaDainian Tomlinson; 13,662, Jerome Bettis; 13,259, Eric Dickerson; 12,739, Tony Dorsett; 12,312, Jim Brown; 12,279, Marshall Faulk).
James (3,028) ranks 7th in NFL career rushing attempts (4,409, Emmitt Smith; 3,838, Walter Payton; 3,518, Curtis Martin; 3,479, Jerome Bettis; 3,174, LaDainian Tomlinson; 3,062, Barry Sanders).
James (82.7) ranks 13th in NFL career rushing yards per game (104.3, Jim Brown; 99.8, Barry Sanders; 97.5, Terrell Davis; 91.9, Adrian Peterson; 90.8, Eric Dickerson; 88.8, Arian Foster; 88.0, Walter Payton; 87.8, Clinton Portis; 87.2, Chris Johnson; 85.1, Billy Sims, 83.9, Curtis Martin; 83.2, O.J. Simpson).
James (13,441) ranks 24th in NFL career scrimmage yards (23,540, Jerry Rice; 21,579, Emmitt Smith; 21,264, Walter Payton; 19,154, Marshall Faulk; 18,456, LaDainian Tomlinson; 18,190, Barry Sanders; 17,654, Marcus Allen; 17,430, Curtis Martin; 16,532, Thurman Thomas; 16,293, Tony Dorsett; 15,631, Tiki Barber; 15,396, Eric Dickerson; 15,124, Tim Brown; 15,111, Jerome Bettis; 14,891, Ricky Watters; 14,811, Jim Brown; 14,407, Franco Harris; 14,250, James Lofton; 13,940, Cris Carter; 13,827, Henry Ellard; 13,725, Marvin Harrison; 13,698, Andre Reed; 13,530, Isaac Bruce; 13,442, John Riggins).
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James is one of 10 Colts players with 300+ career receptions, and his total (356) ranks 2nd among Colts RBs (363, Lenny Moore). He had receptions in 47 consecutive games, the second-longest streak by a Colts RB (77, Marshall Faulk).
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James had 31 games with Colts with 5+ receptions and had receptions in 92 of 96 games with club.
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James had 12,065 career scrimmage yards (9,226 rushing/2,839 receiving), 2nd-most in club history (14,608, Marvin Harrison).
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With the Colts, James had 100+ rushing outings against 21 of 31 opponents (6-New England; 5-Houston; 4-Buffalo; Miami; NYJ; Tennessee; 3-Kansas City; 2-Cleveland; Dallas; Detroit; Minnesota; Oakland; 1-Atlanta; Chicago; Jacksonville; NYG; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; San Francisco; Seattle). He did not have 100+ rushing games against Arizona (0-0), Baltimore (0-2), Carolina (0-0), Cincinnati (0-2), Denver (0-3), Green Bay (0-2), New Orleans (0-0), San Diego (0-3), Tampa Bay (0-0) and Washington (0-2). His 100+ outings by years with Colts: 1999-10; 2000-9; 2001-5; 2002-2; 2003-6; 2004-8; 2005-9.
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James (12,065) ranks 3rd in Colts total yards (14,800, Marvin Harrison; 12,449, Lenny Moore).
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JamesandHarrisontopped the 100-yard mark in their respective rushing and receiving categories 22 times together. James and Harrison surpassed Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin (20, Dallas) for the most 100-100 tandem efforts. At the end of his Colts career, the duo ranked 1st in NFL history (22, James-Harrison, 94 games, 23%; 20, Smith-Irvin, 124 games, 16%; 16, Barry Sanders-Herman Moore, 106 games, 15%; 10, Thurman Thomas-Andre Reed, 159 games, 6%; 9, Terrell Davis-Rod Smith, 70 games, 13%; 9, Fred Taylor-Jimmy Smith, 92 games, 9%). Indianapolis was 19-3 in games when James and Harrison topped 100 yards together.
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James (15) in 2000 tied the NFL record for the most 100+ scrimmage yard games in a year (15, Marcus Allen, 1985; 15, Barry Sanders, 1997).
James had three 2,000+ scrimmage yard seasons (2,303, 2000; 2,139, 1999; 2,031, 2004) to rank among the NFL leaders (4, Marshall Faulk; 4, Eric Dickerson; 4, Walter Payton; 3, LaDainian Tomlinson; 3, Tiki Barber; 3, Priest Holmes).
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JamesandHarrison, in 2005, produced the 9th 10+-TD seasonal tandem in club history (13, Lenny Moore/10, Raymond Berry, 1960; 15, Lydell Mitchell/11, Don McCauley, 1975; 11, Roger Carr/11, McCauley, 1976; 17, Edgerrin James/12, Marvin Harrison, 1999; 18, James/14, Harrison, 2000; 15, Harrison/10, Dominic Rhodes, 2001; 11, James/10, Harrison, 2003; 15, Harrison/12, Reggie Wayne/10, Brandon Stokley, 2004; 14, James/12, Harrison, 2005). Club now has 11 (15, Joseph Addai/11, Dallas Clark/10, Wayne, 2007; 13, Addai/10, Clark; 10, Wayne, 2009).
The Colts have an NFL-record seven offenses featuring a 4,000+ passer and 1,000+ rushers and receivers in a season, and James was a member of four of those seven trios: 2004 (4,557, Manning; 1,548, James; 1,210 Wayne/1,113, Harrison/1,077, Stokley), 2003 (4,267, Manning; 1,259, James; 1,272, Harrison), 2000 (4,413, Manning; 1,709, James; 1,413, Harrison) and 1999 (4,135, Manning; 1,553, James; 1,663, Harrison).
James Production by the Quarters (With Colts):
First Quarter: 575-2,199, 10 TDs rushing; 88-631, 1 TD receiving; 663-2,820, 11 TDs scrimmage totals
Second Quarter: 536-2,204, 17 TDs rushing; 102-797, 4 TDs receiving; 638-3,001, 21 TDs scrimmage totals
Third Quarter: 556-2,492, 18 TDs rushing; 82-650, 3 TDs receiving; 638-3,142, 21 TDs scrimmage totals
Fourth Quarter: 521-2,341, 19 TDs rushing; 84-761, 3 TDs receiving; 605-3,102, 22 TDs scrimmage totals
TOTAL: 2,188-9,226, 64 TDs rushing; 356-2,839, 11 TDs receiving; 2,544-12,065, 75 TDs scrimmage totals
James earned Pro Bowl honors in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005. He earned NFL All-Rookie honors from four organizations. He earned All-AFC honors in 1999 (two entities), 2000 (two) and 2005 (one). He earned All-Pro/All-NFL honors in 1999 (six entities), 2000 (four), 2004 (five).
The Elias Sports Bureau assisted in the research.
