Edward Jay Jenkins (born August 31, 1950) is an American lawyer and former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, and the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and running back and was drafted by the Dolphins in the eleventh round of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was the 37th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overal ...

Football career

Jenkins was originally drafted as a

but switched to running back because of his blocking ability and the Dolphins' depth at wide receiver. Although he was on Miami's undefeated 1972 Super Bowl championship team, he did not get a single rushing attempt that season. He spent most of the season on the

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

except for the first three games in which he played solely on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

before injuring his knee. He was on the Dolphins' roster for the 1973 Dolphins Super Bowl championship season but spent the season on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

due to an injured shoulder. Jenkins was traded to the New York Giants prior to the start of the 1974 season in exchange for a 14th round draft pick, with which the Dolphins selected

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

James Lewis. He was released by the Giants in October after playing four games for them. He was then signed by the Bills a few days later. Jenkins made his only NFL pass reception with the Bills in a game against the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

on November 10, 1974. The Bills released him after 5 games with them to make room on the roster for

Al Randolph. He was then signed by the

and played 4 games for them in 1974. In the final game of the season against the Dolphins, on December 15, Jenkins recovered a fumble to set up a Patriots

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

, but Miami won the game. The Patriots released Jenkins before the 1975 season. In 1975, Jenkins was in Packers training camp. His reps were limited, and he went to coach Bart Starr to discuss his future. “Coach Starr said, ‘Eddie Jenkins, you’re going to make a great lawyer,’ ” Jenkins said.

Personal life

After his football career ended Jenkins obtained his J.D. degree from

Suffolk Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Freedom Trail, two blocks from the Mass ...

in 1978, the same law school as 1972 Miami teammate

Nick Buoniconti Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (, December 15, 1940 – July 30, 2019) was an American professional American football, football player who was a middle linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played c ...

graduated from. He subsequently worked as an attorney, and was a candidate for Suffolk County district attorney in 1990. His son Julian Jenkins played as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

in 2006 after being drafted in the 5th round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

. Jenkins was married to American lawyer Linda Champion. The couple divorced in 2015. https://magazine.holycross.edu/stories/football-field-courtroom-eddie-jenkins-72-trailblazer

References

External links

NFL.com player page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Ed 1950 births Living people Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida American football wide receivers Holy Cross Crusaders football players Miami Dolphins players Buffalo Bills players New England Patriots players New York Giants players Suffolk University Law School alumni