Born: May 26, 1977 in Los Angeles, CA
1996: Hueneme High School
1996-1998: Brigham Young University
1999: Northern Arizona University
On the final rushing attempt of his high school career, Ronney Jenkins reached the end zone…and the history books as well.
That 15-yard touchdown run gave the Hueneme High senior running back an astonishing 619 yards, enabling him to break the single-game national rushing record by 11 yards. In that November 9, 1995 game, Jenkins scored 46 of his team’s 52 points (seven touchdowns, a field goal and an extra-point kick) in a win over Rio Mesa. Jenkins finished the season with 2,168 yards. His career numbers included 4,317 yards and 38 touchdowns.
He excelled in track and field as well. His long jump best of 24’-9” stood as the county record for 20 years and his 100-meter best of 10.66 seconds was the second-fastest in county history at the time.
At BYU, Jenkins was the Western Athletic Conference freshman of the year after leading the team in touchdowns and all-purpose yards. He set a single-game school record after rushing for 250 yards against San Jose State. As a sophomore, Jenkins made the All-WAC second team. Transferring to Northern Arizona, Jenkins rushed for 1,051 yards, caught 67 passes for 716 yards and scored 17 TDs in 1999.
As a rookie for the San Diego Chargers in 2000, Jenkins set franchise records for kickoff returns and yardage. He led the NFL in yards per kickoff return, averaging 26.6 yards in 2001. He set Chargers records for kickoff return yardage (1,541) and single-game kickoff yardage with 250 against the Oakland Raiders. He was a first alternate for the Pro Bowl. When his Chargers career ended after the 2002 season, Jenkins owned numerous franchise season and career records.
In his post football career, Jenkins has mentored young men and women in Ventura County. He is a certified personal training professional and the President and owner of 805 Pro Performance, Inc.
The Oxnard resident has four children: Nayana, Foxx, Romeo and Damani.