Bob Jenkins (American football)

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

Bob Jenkins
Born:(1923-08-16)August 16, 1923
Talladega, Alabama
Died:November 23, 2001(2001-11-23) (aged 78)
Career information
Position(s)Halfback
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
CollegeNavy
High schoolTalladega High School
Career history
As player
1942Alabama
1943–1945Navy
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Jenkins 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

Jenkins 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

Jenkins 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
  1. "Robert Thomas "Trigger Tom" Jenkins". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  2. "Alabama Obituary and Death Notice Archive". GenLookups. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  3. "Talladega Tiger". Alabama High School Football Historical Society. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  4. "Alabama Crimson Tide Football History". University of Alabama. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. "2013 Navy Football Media Guide". United States Naval Academy. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  6. 2014 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 4 & 14 (2014). Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. "Heisman Winners by Year". Heisman Trophy Trust. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  8. 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
  9. "Alabama Drafted Players/Alumni". Sports Reference, LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
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