Robert Thomas "Trigger Tom" Jenkins (August 16, 1923 – November 23, 2001) was an

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 ...

halfback at

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

and the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. While at Navy he was a consensus All-American in 1944

Early life

Jenkins was born in

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state's la ...

on August 16, 1923 to William Thomas Jenkins and Pauline Odessa West Jenkins. He attended Talladega High School graduating as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

in 1941. A gifted athlete Jenkins played high school football earning All-State and All-Southern in 1939 and 1940. During his final year he accounted for 24 touchdowns.

Playing career

Jenkins lettered in football at the University of Alabama under coach

Frank Thomas Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), nicknamed "the Big Hurt," is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for three American League (AL) teams from 1990 to ...

in 1942. In 1943 he moved on to United States Naval Academy where he lettered in football during the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons. In 1944, as a 6-foot 1-inch, 195-pound halfback, he was recognized as a consensus first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, having received first-team honors from several publications and organizations including the

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

and ''Collier's Weekly'' (Grantland Rice).''2014 NCAA Football Records Book''
Award Winners
, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 4 & 14 (2014). Retrieved August 20, 2014. The three other members of the 1944 consensus All-American

backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage, and players positioned there on offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including the quarterback and running backs ( halfbacks and full ...

were

Les Horvath Leslie Horvath (October 12, 1921 – November 14, 1995) was an American football quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1944. Horvath was the first Ohio State player to win the Heisman, an award give ...

Doc Blanchard Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard (December 11, 1924 – April 19, 2009) was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E ...

, and Glen Davis, who all won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

in 1944, 1945, and 1946 respectively. 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.” A knee injury in 1945 ended his football playing career. Jenkins was selected as the sixth pick in the 17th round (170th overall) by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

in the 1945

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 ...

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

After football

Jenkins stayed in the Navy until he retired in 1950. He moved to

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

where he was a businessman and civic leader. In 1959, he founded machine tools business Birmingham called Modern Machinery Associates, Inc. He died on November 23, 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Bob 1923 births 2001 deaths Alabama Crimson Tide football players Navy Midshipmen football players All-American college football players Sportspeople from Talladega, Alabama Players of American football from Talladega County, Alabama Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama