MATT "MJ" JAMES

WHERE: Hillsboro, Oregon
WHAT: Velocity Sports Performance
TRAINING SPECIALTY: Emphasizes speed training
BACKGROUND: A 3-sport All-Star athlete in high school, Matt "MJ" James was always one of the fastest guys on the football field. He showed guys what he was made of as a 4-year starter at Portland State University. In addition, MJ majored in Exercise Sport Science and Performance Enhancement. Translation? On the field and off, MJ was figuring out what makes athletes go fast.

In the decade since he left PSU, MJ has been passing along what he knows to kids and high schoolers at Velocity Sports Performance just outside of Portland, Oregon. He established a training program to help athletes perform at their peak levels—more than 100 kids he's trained have received Division I scholarships—and his know-how and winning attitude have had positive impacts on the lives of thousands of other students.

MJ's a busy man: He also heads up the Nike Football Combines and Elite 11 Quarterback Camps. And he's the lead trainer for Nike Premier 50 Soccer Camp. Then there are the elite athletes he trains—Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury; NBA player Brian Grant; Clevland Browns' Derek Anderson; and Olympic skiers Picabo Street and Lindsey Kildow. While not every athlete will win fame like these ones or even be as fast as MJ, he believes all athletes have the potential to be great. "We're not all going to be professional athletes, but we're going to be professionals in life."