James Ottis “Little Man” Stewart III (born December 27, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. Stewart played in the NFL for the Jaguars and Detroit Lions from 1995 to 2003.

James Stewart
No. 33, 34
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1971-12-27) December 27, 1971 (age 53)
Morristown, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Morristown West
College:Tennessee
NFL draft:1995 / round: 1 / pick: 19
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:5,841
Rushing average:4.0
Rushing touchdowns:48
Receptions:220
Receiving yards:1,715
Receiving touchdowns:9
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life and college

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Stewart played football at his high school of Morristown West High School in Morristown, Tennessee.[1] He played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1991 to 1994. He had his only 1,000 yard rushing season his senior year, where he also ran for 11 touchdowns. While he left as the career leader in rushing yards, he's currently at the third most with 2,890, and still has the most rushing touchdowns with 35, in school history.[2]

College statistics

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James Stewart Rushing Receiving
Year School Class Pos G Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
1991 Tennessee FR RB 11 190 939 4.9 8 18 106 5.9 0
1992 Tennessee SO RB 11 85 386 4.5 7 7 121 17.3 1
1993 Tennessee JR RB 11 86 537 6.2 9 12 89 7.4 0
1994 Tennessee SR RB 11 170 1,028 6.0 11 17 147 8.6 3
Career Tennessee 531 2,890 5.4 35 54 463 8.6 4

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+38 in
(1.86 m)
222 lb
(101 kg)
32+34 in
(0.83 m)
8+78 in
(0.23 m)
4.09 s 38.0 in
(0.97 m)
10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
26 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

Jacksonville Jaguars

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Stewart was the second selection by the new expansion Jacksonville Jaguars with the 19th pick of the first round in the 1995 NFL draft.[4] In his rookie season, Stewart led the Jaguars in rushing with 525 yards and had two rushing touchdowns.[5][6] He led the team again in 1996 with 723 yards and eight touchdowns.[7][8] He finished the 1997 season with 555 yards and eight touchdowns, however he finished second on the team that year in rushing yards behind teammate Natrone Means.[9][10] Stewart still holds the franchise record for the most points in a single game (30) and for the most rushing touchdowns in a game (5). Both these records were obtained on October 12, 1997, in a 38-21 Week 7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.[11][12][13] The Jaguars drafted Fred Taylor as their new franchise back in 1998 and, as a result, Stewart only rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns.[14] Due to injuries to Taylor in 1999, Stewart once again led the team with 931 rushing yards and had a career-high 13 touchdowns.[15][16]

Stewart finished his Jaguars career rushing 765 times for 2,951 yards and 33 touchdowns. Stewart also played in six playoff games, including two AFC Championships, rushing 31 total times for 162 yards and two touchdowns.[17]

Detroit Lions

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Stewart became a free agent and signed with the Detroit Lions prior to the 2000 season.[18] In his first year playing for the Lions, Stewart rushed for a career-high 1,184 yards and 10 touchdowns.[19] In 2001, he rushed for 685 yards and one touchdown.[20] During the 2002 season, he had another 1,000-plus yard season (1,021) and four touchdowns.[21] He rushed for a career-high 172 yards in a 23-20 Week 7 victory over the Chicago Bears.[22] He was, however, injured late in 2002 with a severe shoulder injury and did not play in 2003, ending his career.[23] According to Coy Wire, Stewart's injury occurred because of a bounty system established by then Buffalo Bills head coach Gregg Williams. Wire stated: "I shattered James Stewart's shoulder and he never played again. I was showered with praise for that. It's a shame that's how it was. Now I see how wrong that was."[24]

Stewart finished his time with the Lions rushing 713 times for 2,890 yards and 15 touchdowns. In his career, he rushed for a total of 1,478 times for 5,841 yards and 48 touchdowns.

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
1995 JAX 14 8 137 525 3.8 22 2 21 190 9.0 38 1 1 1
1996 JAX 13 11 190 723 3.8 34 8 30 177 5.9 21 2 2 2
1997 JAX 16 5 136 555 4.1 33 8 41 336 8.2 40 1 0 0
1998 JAX 3 3 53 217 4.1 30 2 6 42 7.0 19 1 2 1
1999 JAX 14 7 249 931 3.7 44 13 21 108 5.1 19 0 4 3
2000 DET 16 16 339 1,184 3.5 34 10 32 287 9.0 32 1 4 2
2001 DET 11 10 143 685 4.8 38 1 23 242 10.5 56 1 0 0
2002 DET 14 9 231 1,021 4.4 56 4 46 333 7.2 52 2 0 0
Career 101 69 1478 5,841 4.0 56 48 220 1,715 7.8 56 9 13 9

Postseason

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
1996 JAX 3 0 16 59 3.7 16 0 4 38 9.5 25 0 1 1
1997 JAX 1 0 1 6 6.0 6 0 3 46 15.3 26 0 0 0
1999 JAX 2 0 14 97 6.9 33 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 6 0 31 162 5.2 33 2 7 84 12.0 26 0 1 1

Jaguars franchise records

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  • Most points scored in a game: 30
  • Most rushing touchdowns in a game: 5

Personal life

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Stewart wore number 33 while playing for the University of Tennessee and the Jaguars. He wore number 34 while playing for the Lions.

He retired to Jacksonville and owns his own personal training studio called Studio 33.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Salazar, Deven (March 16, 2024). "Stewart to speak at Men of Vision event". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Price, Austin (September 4, 2014). "Little mans toughness catalyst for his success". Tennessee.Rivals.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "James Stewart, Combine Results, RB - Tennessee". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  4. ^ "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. ^ "James Stewart 1995 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "1995 Jacksonville Jaguars Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "James Stewart 1996 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "1996 Jacksonville Jaguars Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "James Stewart 1997 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "1997 Jacksonville Jaguars Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars - October 12th, 1997". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "Stewart Scores Five Touchdowns Jaguars Back Answers Critics With Near-Record Performance". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. October 13, 1997. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Day, Ryan (August 3, 2019). "36 days until kickoff: James Stewart's five touchdown game". Big Cat Country. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "James Stewart 1998 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "James Stewart 1999 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "1999 Jacksonville Jaguars Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "James Stewart Career Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "Lions Sign RB James Stewart". CBS News. Associated Press. November 30, 1999. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "James Stewart 2000 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  20. ^ "James Stewart 2001 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  21. ^ "James Stewart 2002 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  22. ^ "Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions - October 20th, 2002". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "FORMER NFL PLAYER JAMES "LITTLE MAN" STEWART TO LEAD GATLINBURG FOOTBALL CAMP". RockyTopSportsWorld.com. March 22, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  24. ^ "Former Bills safety Wire reveals 'bounty' system under Williams". NFL.com. March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
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