Robert Thomas "Trigger Tom" Jenkins (August 16, 1923 – November 23, 2001) was an American football halfback at University of Alabama and the United States Naval Academy. While at Navy he was a consensus All-American in 1944
| Date of birth | August 16, 1923 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Talladega, Alabama, U.S. |
| Date of death | November 23, 2001 (aged 78) |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| US college | Navy |
| High school | Talladega High School |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1942 | Alabama |
| 1943–1945 | Navy |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
editJenkins was born in Talladega, Alabama on August 16, 1923 to William Thomas Jenkins and Pauline Odessa West Jenkins.[1][2] He attended Talladega High School graduating as valedictorian in 1941.[2] A gifted athlete Jenkins played high school football earning All-State and All-Southern in 1939 and 1940.[1][2][3] During his final year he accounted for 24 touchdowns.[2]
Playing career
editJenkins lettered in football at the University of Alabama under coach Frank Thomas in 1942.[4] In 1943 he moved on to United States Naval Academy where he lettered in football during the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons.[5] In 1944, as a 6-foot 1-inch, 195-pound halfback, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from several publications and organizations including the United Press and Collier's Weekly (Grantland Rice).[6] The three other members of the 1944 consensus All-American backfield were Les Horvath, Doc Blanchard, and Glen Davis, who all won the Heisman Trophy in 1944, 1945, and 1946 respectively.[6][7] While at Navy the media heaped colorful praise of his playing ability by writing he was a “human dynamo,” “190 lbs fluid force,” and “the piston-legged personification of power.”[8] A knee injury in 1945 ended his football playing career.[1] Jenkins was selected as the sixth pick in the 17th round (170th overall) by the Washington Redskins in the 1945 National Football League draft.[9]
After football
editJenkins stayed in the Navy until he retired in 1950. He moved to Birmingham, Alabama where he was a businessman and civic leader.[1] In 1959, he founded machine tools business Birmingham called Modern Machinery Associates, Inc.[2] He died on November 23, 2001.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Robert Thomas "Trigger Tom" Jenkins". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Alabama Obituary and Death Notice Archive". GenLookups. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Talladega Tiger". Alabama High School Football Historical Society. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Alabama Crimson Tide Football History". University of Alabama. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "2013 Navy Football Media Guide". United States Naval Academy. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ a b 2014 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners Archived November 26, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 4 & 14 (2014). Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Heisman Winners by Year". Heisman Trophy Trust. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Jones, Wilbur (2009), Football! Navy! War!: How Military Lend-lease Players Saved the College Game and Helped Win World War II, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., p. 122, ISBN 9780786454167
- ^ "Alabama Drafted Players/Alumni". Sports Reference, LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 26, 2012.