The ‘Best of Campus’ winners were determined by a student vote. The winners do not reflect the opinion of the Emerald.
LaMichael James has spent the last three seasons building up quite a reputation around the University, so it is no surprise the football star is your pick for best male athlete. Coming in at only 5-foot-8 and taking over for fan favorite LeGarrette Blount after Blount’s suspension in 2009, no one saw James coming. However, once he hit the field he never failed to impress. We all remember his rise to glory, including his majestic touchdown run against Tennessee in 2010, or when he dislocated his elbow during a play this fall and popped it back in before leaving the field.
Averaging 19.3 touchdowns per season@@http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/10/the_evolution_of_deanthony_tho.html@@, James was the winner of the Doak Walker Award in 2010@@http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2010/12/oregons_lamichael_james_wins_d.html@@ and generated serious Heisman talk in both 2010 and 2011. He rushed 5,082 yards in his career as a Duck and broke Oregon’s single-game record for rushing. ESPN radars once even clocked him at 24 mph@@http://www.nflrush.com/story/the-raiders-need-lamichael-james-in-the-draft@@, a speed that certainly didn’t hurt him in his track career, where he ran as an anchor in relay races. James was a key player in the Duck football team, helping them become PAC-12 champions three years in a row. In the second round of the 2012 NFL draft in April, James was picked by the San Francisco 49ers. He is no stranger to playing in California after multiple Rose Bowl visits with Oregon, so we know he will do well. We will miss No. 21 at Autzen Stadium, but we also wish him luck in the pros.