2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Grandmother's death
Cochran, Webb and others worried, however, when his grandmother died when James was a junior.
Betty James' cervical cancer, in remission for about five years, came back in 2007 and doctors explained
it had spread through her body. After receiving the news, she told the family not to tell LaMichael. But the
secret couldn't be kept long.
She lost weight and her hair. She slept through the day and often called out screaming during
hallucinatory dreams. On the afternoon she died in her home, LaMichael, alone in his room, unable to
witness the end, was relieved her suffering was over. He was also filled with rage.
"He just went crazy," Galloway said. "He started hitting on the walls and just slamming doors. He was just
so angry."
Before her death, Betty instructed the family to let LaMichael remain in the home where he grew up.
Initially, stricken with grief, he often stayed elsewhere. He would spend the night with Webb and her
family, or stay with relatives.
Webb, who ironed his suit for his grandmother's funeral, worried that the 17-year-old with unwavering
self-belief would lose his way without his compass.
Fears unrealized
"I just saw sad and lost," Webb said. "He was so lost. It was like: 'What do I do? What's next?' As a parent
who had two kids at home, I wondered, 'How is he going to get up for school every morning?' "
James eventually found comfort when he returned to 210 Melton St. There, among her possessions and
his memories, he felt connected to her. He drew strength and determination through his desire to make
her proud.
Webb would check daily to make sure James made it to school. He was never late. Galloway and his
aunts would drive by the house at night to make sure there weren't parties. It was always quiet.
"He quickly turned things around because he started thinking about, 'If my grandmother was here, how
would she look at that?' " Cochran said. "LaMichael did better in school after his grandmother died. He
took even more pride in everything he did. Being places on time. Being a quiet leader."
During her life, Betty James had served as both grandmother and mom. In her death, she helped James
become a man.
Still, the remaining women in his life, most notably his sister, unwittingly did their best to delay his journey
to manhood.
Overcoming homesickness
During his first year at Oregon, a hopelessly homesick James would routinely call his sister with tears in
his eyes and his bags packed in his room. He wanted to come back to Texarkana and transfer to TCU,
about three hours away in Fort Worth.
Most of his support system - friends and former coaches - implored him to stay in Eugene. Tough it out.
Things would get better.
Not Galloway.