LaMichael James was a blue-chip recruit from who had offers from colleges all over the country. As an undersized back from Liberty-Eylau High in Texarkana, Texas, James leaned on a close group of mentors, particularly Jeff Wright, who worked at his high school and who had coached him in eighth grade.
 
"Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or do you want to be a small fish in a big pond?" James recalled Wright asking him. "I wanted to be the guy. I wanted to go and change the culture somewhere. Everyone goes to Oklahoma or Texas or Arkansas from my region, and I wanted to be different. That was a big thing to me.
 
"Don't follow trends. Make something of yourself and go against the odds, so that people from East Texas see that you can go somewhere else and blaze your own path."
 
Did he ever.
 
James chose Oregon, a strong program that would take off to historic heights during his time in Eugene. Now, he can call himself a College Football Hall of Famer — just the sixth former player in school history to make the Hall.
 
"Honestly, man, I still haven't processed it," James said. "It's still surreal."
 
The way James found out only added to the rush. Longtime Oregon administrator Jeff Hawkins reached out to James ahead of the announcement to ask for his address. Given Oregon's ties to Nike, James thought perhaps Hawkins was shipping him some new shoes, so he asked if he could hold on to the package for when James flew in for a pre-planned visit the next day. Shortly after opening the package at his Dallas-area home — a package that included the commemorative football that each Hall newcomer receives — reality began to set in for James.
 
"That's when it really hit me: You made the College Football Hall of Fame," James said. "Then you see the names on the list, and that's another reason why I was like, Wow, you made it with Reggie Bush and Tim Tebow and Eric Berry and just all of these great athletes. And it's like, man, you're a part of that group.
 
"Records can be broken, but you can never take your legacy away once you're in the College Football Hall of Fame."
 
James arrived in Eugene for the 2009 season, the same year that Chip Kelly began as the Ducks' head coach, and the player and program took off. Oregon went 34-6 during James' three seasons, winning three straight Pac-12 titles and making BCS bowl games in all three years, including the national championship game in the 2010-11 season.
 
Behind an innovative offense that took the nation by storm, James made an immediate impact, setting a Pac-12 freshman record for rushing yards, with 1,546. He went on to amass 5,082 career rushing yards, 5,869 all-purpose yards, 53 rushing touchdowns and 26 games with 100 or more rushing yards — each mark good for second on the school's all-time list.
 
James' seven career 200-yard rushing games are a school record. The 5-foot-9 back became the Ducks' first two-time consensus All-American (2010 and '11), and he was the first unanimous All-American in program history in 2010. That same year — which ended in the BCS title game after a perfect regular season — saw James lead the nation in rushing, yards from scrimmage and touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back, and he made it to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
 
"Coach (Gary) Campbell is No. 1, without a doubt," James said of his biggest football influence, referring to the legendary Ducks running backs coach. "When you look at everything else, it's definitely your teammates. It takes more than one person for us to succeed. If my offensive line is not good, or if I don't have good blockers at wide receiver, or if the defense is not forcing turnovers, then there is none of this."
 
James was drafted by the 49ers in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and he spent two seasons with San Francisco before playing two more years for the Dolphins. He currently owns multiple Killer Burger franchises in the Oregon area.
 
"I didn't even know where Oregon was," James said of his initial recruitment, laughing. "I told Coach Kelly, I don't want to play ball on the West Coast. He said, 'Good thing we're in the Northwest.' I said I don't know where it's at, and he said, 'It's below Washington, next to California.'
"I said, OK, I'll check it out."
 
The Ducks were better for it.
 
UP CLOSE:
 

• Twice named a First Team All-American, including unanimous accolades in 2010 and finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting.
• Claimed the Doak Walker Award in 2010 as the nation's best running back after leading the nation in rushing yards (1,731), yards from scrimmage (1,939) and touchdowns (24).
• Finished his career with 771 rushes for 5,082 yards and 53 touchdowns, adding 51 receptions for 586 yards and four touchdowns.
• Played for head coach Chip Kelly.
• Becomes the sixth Oregon player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.