Edgerrin James Edgerrin Tyree James ( ; born August 1 , 1978 ) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons . He played college football for the University of Miami . He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft . James also played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks . The AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 , he earned four Pro Bowl selections and four All - Pro selections . College career . James was recruited out of Florida ' s Immokalee High School by the University of Miami . He proved to be one of the most successful running backs in the school ' s history . James ranks second in all - time University of Miami rushing yards . He was the only running back in the university ' s history to post two consecutive seasons with 1 , 000 - plus rushing yards , and he ranks first in school history with the most 100 - plus rushing games ( 14 ) . All single season records held by James have since been broken by current Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee . Edgerrin was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame on April 23 , 2009 at its 41st Annual Induction Banquet at Jungle Island in Miami . Professional career . 1999 NFL Draft . The Indianapolis Colts selected James in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft with the fourth overall pick . James signed a seven - year , $ 49 million rookie contract . Some critics believed that the Colts made a mistake by choosing James over the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams , but proved to be the right choice for the Colt ' s offense . Indianapolis Colts . James quieted the critics and was an immediate success , and was named the 1999 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press . James won the NFL rushing title in his first two seasons , before tearing his ACL six games into the 2001 season . After the 2002 season , where James failed to regain his form of 1999 and 2000 , many believed that James would never recover from his knee injury . However , James rebounded well in 2003 , and re - established his place as one of the top running backs in the NFL in 2004 and 2005 , with over 1 , 500 rushing yards in both seasons . James left Indianapolis as their all time leading rusher with 9 , 226 yards . James was given a Super Bowl ring from the Colts after he left the team in 2006 , when they won Super Bowl XLI . On September 23 , 2012 , James was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during the week 3 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars . Arizona Cardinals . James signed a four - year , $ 30 million dollar deal with the Arizona Cardinals on March 23 , 2006 . James went through a stretch of 10 games out of the 2008 season where he carried the ball only 20 times . Through this time , Ken Whisenhunt brought him in strictly as a pass protector . In Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks , James carried the ball 14 times for 100 yards . James said he would not come back to Arizona following the 2009 NFL playoffs , despite a year left on his contract . In the Cardinals ' first playoff game since 1998 , James averaged 4 . 7 yards per carry and ran for 100 yards . In the Divisional round of the playoffs , James rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals ' upset victory over the heavily favored Carolina Panthers . James rushed for 73 yards in the Cardinals ' 32 - 25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game . James rushed 9 times for 33 yards in the Cardinals ' 27 - 23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII . His long - time girlfriend , the mother of his children , died of cancer in April 2009 . After this , he asked for his release from the team , and the Cardinals honored his request on April 28 . Seattle Seahawks . After spending the 2009 offseason grieving with his four children and declining NFL offers , James finally agreed to a one - year , $ 2 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks on August 24 , 2009 , missing the team ' s training camp . The team released running back T . J . Duckett to make room for James on the roster . However , James rushed for only 125 yards on a career - low 46 carries . He played in only seven games , and on November 3 , 2009 , Seattle cut him from the team . On July 26 , 2011 , James announced his retirement from football . Professional statistics . " Accurate as of October 3 , 2009 " Personal . James currently resides in Miami , Florida . He has four children , Edquisha , Ehyanna , Edgerrin Jr . , and Euro . On April 14 , 2009 , Andia Wilson , James ' long - time girlfriend and the mother of his four children , died from leukemia at the age of 30 . In 2000 , James donated $ 250 , 000 to the University of Miami , the largest donation ever made to the university by one of its former athletes . The university responded by naming the football meeting room after him . James appeared in the music video for Trick Daddy ' s songs " Nann , " " Take It To Da House , " and " Shut Up " . He was also the spokesperson and cover athlete for the football video game " ESPN NFL Primetime 2002 " . Edgerrin James and former teammate Matt Leinart are co - owners of one of the largest indoor go - cart tracks in Arizona . James and Leinart are both race fans , and attended the 2007 Daytona 500 together . < BR > < BR > He is the cousin of NFL RB Javarris James