Lionel James, a running back who was unstoppable despite his small stature, died Friday after a long illness, the university said. He was 59 years old.
The death of James, a 5-foot-8 player who was nicknamed Little Train, was announced but no further details were provided.
After being drafted in the fifth round in 1984, James played five seasons with the Bolts. He had 2,535 all-purpose yards in 1985 and set an NFL record.
He set an NFL record for receiving yards by a running back in that season with 1,027.
One of the first signature players of the Pat Dye era was James, who in 1981 and 1982 was the leader in all-purpose yards. He was a team captain in 1983 and helped lead the team to their first SEC championship in 26 years.
Bo Jackson was the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner and Tommie Agee was a future NFL player.
David Housel, a former auburn sports information director and athletic director, said in a news release that lionel james defined auburn football for a generation.
Agee called James pound for pound one of the greatest all-purpose players to play the game of football.
After his football career, James returned to auburn and graduated in 1989. He was a tight ends coach on Terry Bowden's staff.
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