Mike Jenkins (November 3, 1982 – November 28, 2013) was an American professional

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

competitor from

Westminster, Maryland Westminster is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The city's population was 19,960 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Westminster is an outlying community in the Baltimore metropolitan area, whic ...

.The Arnold Strongman Classic
. The Arnold Strongman Classic. Retrieved on October 3, 2013. During his short pro career, Jenkins competed at the highest level of the sport. In 2012, Jenkins won the

Arnold Strongman Classic The Arnold Strongman Classic is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, determining who is the Strongest Man in the World. Created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of t ...

, regarded as one of the most prestigious competitions in strongman. Jenkins died at age 31 after only three years of pro-level competition.

Early life

Jenkins was a precocious athlete, reportedly weighing 225 pounds,

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

400 pounds, and benching 315 pounds in sixth grade. He played college football, first at

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia, ...

and later at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

, where he was a starting offensive lineman for their 2004 FCS national championship. After college, Jenkins briefly played for the

arena football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, an ...

team the

Georgia Force The Georgia Force was an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States (part of suburban Atlanta) that played in the South Division of the American Conference. The team was owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn ...

. After leaving football and throughout his strongman career, Jenkin worked as a high school athletics director at

Milton Hershey School The Milton Hershey School, formerly the Hershey Industrial School, is a private boarding school in Hershey, Pennsylvania for K–12 students. The institution was founded in 1909 by chocolate industrialist Milton Hershey and his wife, Cather ...

in Hershey, PA. Jenkins began pursuing strongman as he felt "aimless" without participating in sports. His first competition was Maryland's Strongest Man contest in 2007. He won, qualifying him for the North American amateur national strongman championships later that year. There, he placed sixth against a field of approximately 100 competitors. He placed second in the North American nationals in 2009.

Strongman Career

Jenkins competed in the inaugural Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championships in 2010 and won that contest. This victory earned him his pro strongman card, as well as an invitation to the 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic. He competed in the 2010

America's Strongest Man Strength athletics in the United States refers to the various strongman competitions organized throughout United States and North America with the elements of all of strength athletics taken into account. United States has held a preeminent positio ...

later in the year and placed second behind 3-time champion

Derek Poundstone Derek Anthony Poundstone (born September 28, 1981) is an American police officer, former professional strongman and strength coach from Woodbridge, Connecticut. He was the runner-up at the 2008 World ...

. He entered the 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic placing second overall ahead of the reigning

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decemb ...

, Zydrunas Savickas. Later that year, he qualified for the finals of the

2011 World's Strongest Man The 2011 World's Strongest Man was the 34th edition of World's Strongest Man and was held on the campus grounds of Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina, US. The event was sponsored by MET-Rx. The qualifying heats were scheduled for S ...

contest, where he won the first two events but ultimately finished in eighth place overall after withdrawing after suffering a back injury. Jenkins won the 2012

, finishing ahead of former champions Derek Poundstone, Zydrunas Savickas and

Brian Shaw Brian or Bryan Shaw may refer to: Sports * Brian Shaw (basketball) (born 1966), American basketball coach and former player * Bryan Shaw (baseball) (born 1987), American baseball player * Brian Shaw (ice hockey, born 1962), Canadian ice hockey pl ...

, and won the

Giants Live Giants Live is a professional strongman tour which was originated in the United Kingdom. It hosts several prominent competitions each year, including national competitions such as Britain's Strongest Man, international competitions such as Eur ...

event in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

on March 17, 2012, which qualified him for the

2012 World's Strongest Man The 2012 World's Strongest Man was the 35th edition of World's Strongest Man. The event was held on the grounds of the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, California, US. The event was sponsored by MET-Rx. The qualifying heats were held from September ...

contest later in the year.Mike Jenkins Wins Giants Live–FitX Melbourne 2012
Ironmind.com (March 19, 2012). Retrieved on October 3, 2013. He set a joint world record in the hip lift event with

Nick Best Nick Best (born November 3, 1968) is an American strongman and powerlifter. Powerlifting Prior to competing in strongman, Best won the USAPL National Powerlifting Championships in the 125 kg class in 1996 and 1997, as well as the WDFPF Wo ...

with a lift of . In the

contest, Jenkins again reached the finals and finished in fifth place. His final professional strongman competition was the 2013 World's Strongest Man contest, where he finished in fourth overall in the finals. Mike Jenkins died on November 28, 2013, aged 31, in

Dauphin County Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from an enlarged heart, suspected to be caused by long-term steroid use.Mike Jenkins dies age 31
. Strongman.org. Retrieved on July 11, 2017.

Personal records

*Deadlift (on Stiff bar at a 1-inch deficit) – (2013 World's Strongest Man) *Hummer Tire Deadlift – (2011 Arnold Strongman Classic) *Hip lift – (2012 Giants Live FitX Melbourne) (joint-world record) *Log press – (2012 World's Strongest Man) (Former American Record) *Log press/ Austrian Oak (for reps) – x 2 reps (2012 Arnold Strongman Classic) *Circus Dumbbell press (for reps) – x 7 reps (2012 Arnold Strongman Classic) (former world record) *Manhood Stone (Max Atlas Stone) for reps – x 2 reps over 4 ft bar (2011 Arnold Strongman Classic)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Mike 1982 births 2013 deaths People from Westminster, Maryland American strength athletes