C. J. Ham

C. J. Ham (born July 22, 1993) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Augustana.

High school career

Ham graduated from Duluth Denfeld High School in 2011, where he starred in football and track and field. In football, Ham played as a running back under head coach Chris Void and was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter for the Hunters, logging 1,873 total yards and 24 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons. On defense, he recorded 109 tackles. He was an all-conference and all-section selection for his season efforts and received an all-state honorable mention.

College career

Ham attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from 2011 to 2015, where he was a four-year letterwinner in both football and track and field. In his football career with the Vikings, Ham rushed for 2,662 yards and 29 touchdowns, and also had 949 yards receiving and six touchdowns, including 39 catches for 431 yards and three touchdowns in his final season. In track and field, Ham was a two-time All-NSIC honoree in the shot put. He currently holds the school record in the indoor weight throw and the outdoor hammer throw.

Football

As a redshirt freshman, in 2012, Ham appeared in nine games, making three starts at fullback. Ham finished the season with 404 rushing yards on 82 carries (4.9 ypc) with two scores and also caught seven passes for 40 yards. On October 13 against Upper Iowa, he rushed for a season-high 105 yards.

As a sophomore, in 2013, Ham switched to running back and laid in all 11 games, rushing 106 times for 422 yards (3.7 ypc and 35.2 ypg) and four rushing touchdowns. He rushed for a season-high two touchdowns and picked up 43 receiving yards against SMSU on November 16. His season-high in rushing yards came against MSU Moorhead on September 7 and Wayne State on October 5, games in which he rushed for 66 yards.

As a junior, in 2014, Ham played for the second straight season in all 11 games, making six starts at running back. He rushed 148 times for a team-high 774 yards (5.2 ypc and 70.4 ypg) and seven touchdowns, averaging 100.0 all-purpose yards per game. He recorded two 100-plus yard rushing games. He set a career-high in rushing yards in a game with 146 yards and two touchdowns at Minnesota Crookston on September 6. He rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns against U-Mary on September 27, 2014.

As a senior, in 2015, Ham returned as a starter at running back and played in all 12 games. He rushed for a career-high 1,097 yards and 16 touchdowns and was selected to the All-NSIC second-team. In a game at Winona State on November 7, he recorded a career-high 30 carries while picking up 96 yards and three touchdowns. He helped lead Augustana to its first playoff appearance since 2010, finishing the regular season with 1,043 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He entered the postseason with one rushing touchdown and 71 yards shy of Augustana's single season records after he became just the fourth back in program history to rush for 1,000-plus. He was voted by the NSIC football coaches as the 2015 NSIC Glen Galligan Award recipient. The award is given to a student or athlete who participates at his institution for four years and is academically superior while making a positive contribution to the institution.

Statistics

Track and field

During his freshman season, in 2012, Ham placed second with a season-best in the shot put (51 feet 3 inches (15.62 m)) at the Wayne State Dual on February 18. He earned fifth place at the NSIC Championships in the weight throw (50 feet 2 ¹⁄₄ inches (15.297 m)) and shot put (51 feet 1 ³⁄₄ inches (15.589 m)) on February 25. He notched an eighth-place finish at the NSIC Championships on May 11 in the discus throw (145 feet 5 inches (44.32 m)).

As a sophomore, in 2013, Ham finished seventh in the weighted throw (54 feet 5 ¹⁄₂ inches (16.599 m)) at the Bison Open on February 9. He placed third in the shot put (52 feet 3 ³⁄₄ inches (15.945 m)) at the NSIC Championships on February 22.

As a junior, in 2014, Ham set the school record in the weight throw (59 feet 0 ¹⁄₄ inch (17.990 m)) on February 21, 2015 at the USD Twilight. At the NSIC Championships, he placed second in the shot put (55 feet 1 ¹⁄₂ inches (16.802 m)). Outdoors, he notched an eighth-place finish in the hammer throw (160 feet 2 inches (48.82 m)) at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays on May 2, 2015.

In his senior season, in 2015, Ham won the weight throw event at the NSIC Indoor Championships with a throw of 18.34 meters, and placed second in the shot put with a career best throw of 16.90 meters (55'4"), earning NCAA Provisional marks in both events. He also won both the shot put (16.37 meters) and weighted throw (19.02 meter) at the NWU Open.

Professional career

In 2016, Ham participated in the Minnesota Vikings rookie minicamp, competing on a trial basis. Ham is just the fifth player in school history to sign with an NFL team.

The most recent NFL player to play college football at Augustana is Kevin Kaesviharn, a safety who played last for the Tennessee Titans in 2009. On May 10, 2016, following the Vikings rookie minicamp, Ham was signed as a free agent to the 90-man roster. In his first preseason game with the Vikings, Ham led the team in rushing with 35 yards on 12 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown, and he caught a pass for 9 yards. The Vikings beat the Bengals 17-16.

On September 3, 2016, Ham was released by the Vikings as part of final roster cuts.^[2] The next day, he was signed to the Vikings' practice squad.^[3]

Personal life

Ham is a physical education and health major at Augustana and plans on teaching and coaching football and track and field. Since his freshman season at Augustana, he volunteered as a peer educator and mentor in the Sioux Falls School District and volunteered weekly at the Boys and Girls Club.

As a leader and member of Augustana's Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Ham spent time as a student engagement volunteer at Embrace Church. He volunteered as a speaker in advocacy groups for children with disabilities. Ham overcame a speech disorder that had affected him his entire life and used that as a platform to show kids that if they believe in themselves they can be successful in life. Ham has served on numerous projects with Habitat for Humanity with the Augustana football program during his career.

References

External links

• Augustana Vikings Biography
• Minnesota Vikings Bio