His will to succeed was unquestionable. His quest to become the best was undeniable. And his ability to lift the Ducks to among the elite men’s gymnastics program’s in the country was unprecedented. The two-time NCAA All-American and 1981 floor exercise national champion led Oregon to a two-year ledger of 27-2 en route to the team finishing third in the NCAA championships in 1980 and fifth in ‘81. The Ducks’ school-record holder in the floor exercise (9.90) and the vault (9.80) helped lead the program to its fourth consecutive Pacific-10 Conference championship in 1980 as the team eclipsed 12 of 13 school records that season.

So extraordinary were his talents that the former two-time junior college All-American had one of his floor exercise maneuvers named after him.   “The Yuhashi” was named when he scored 9.90 at the NCAA tournament in 1981.  That was the first time “The Yuhashi” had ever been performed in the world and James’s last collegiate gymnastics performance.