Natrone Means

Last updated

Natrone Means
North Carolina Tar Heels
Position:Offensive analyst
Personal information
Born: (1972-04-26) April 26, 1972 (age 51)
Harrisburg, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school: Central Cabarrus (Concord, North Carolina)
College: North Carolina
NFL draft: 1993  / Round: 2 / Pick: 41
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
  • Livingstone (2005)
    Running backs coach
  • Livingstone (2006)
    Offensive coordinator / running backs coach
  • West Charlotte HS (NC) (2007–2008)
    Offensive coordinator / running backs coach
  • Winston Salem State (2014–2017)
    Running backs coach
  • Winston Salem State (2018–2019)
    Assistant head coach / offensive coordinator
  • Fayetteville State (2020)
    Assistant head coach / offensive coordinator
  • North Carolina (2021–present)
    Offensive analyst
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:5,215
Average:3.7
Touchdowns:45
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Natrone Jermaine Means (born April 26, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers from 1993 to 2000.

Contents

Mean played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He was selected by the Chargers in the second round (41st overall) of the 1993 NFL draft. [1] In 1994, he was selected for the Pro Bowl during San Diego's Super Bowl season. He is a member of the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.

Means was nicknamed Natrone "Refried" Means and, later, "Natrone Means Business" by ESPN's Chris Berman [2] He is currently an assistant coach for the Tar Heels. [3]

College career

Means attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and finished his career with 605 rushing attempts of 3,074 yards (5.1 yards per rushing attempt avg.), and 34 touchdowns, and hauled in 61 receptions of 500 yards (8.19 yards per rec. avg.). He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as both a sophomore and junior.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span Bench press
5 ft 10+38 in
(1.79 m)
255 lb
(116 kg)
31+78 in
(0.81 m)
9+18 in
(0.23 m)
18 reps

Means played from 1993 to 1995 for the Chargers, and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1994 after leading his team to the Super Bowl XXIX going up against the San Francisco 49ers, only to lose 49-26. Scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl, he broke William Perry's record for the youngest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl at age 22. This was eventually broken by 21-year-old Jamal Lewis in the Super Bowl XXXV. He was waived by San Diego before the 1996 season and signed with the Jaguars. Means returned to San Diego as an unrestricted free agent in 1998, but left as a free agent for the Panthers in 2000. He retired at the end of the season in 2000.

Means was named in the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team in 2009. [4] He was a finalist in 2012 to be inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame. [5]

NFL career statistics

Rushing statistics

YearTeamGPAttYardsAvgLngTDFDFumLost
1993 SD 161606454.06584811
1994 SD 163431,3503.925127954
1995 SD 101867303.93653922
1996 JAX 141525073.33522731
1997 JAX 142448233.42094343
1998 SD 102128834.27254211
1999 SD 71122772.51541600
Career871,4095,2153.772452941612

Receiving statistics

YearTeamGPRecYardsAvgLngTDFDFumLost
1993 SD 1610595.9110300
1994 SD 16392356.0220900
1995 SD 107466.6140100
1996 JAX 147456.4111200
1997 JAX 14151046.9210310
1998 SD 1016915.7220311
1999 SD 79515.7121200
Career871036316.12222321

[6]

Coaching career

In 2005, Means joined the staff of Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina as running backs coach and in 2006 was promoted to offensive coordinator. He was recruited by head coach Robert Massey, who played with Means on the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996. Means honed his coaching skills while participating in the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program during the summer months of 2003 and 2006 with the Atlanta Falcons.

In 2007, Means was the offensive coordinator at the historical powerhouse West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. During training camp for the 2008 season, Means again participated in the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program, working with the running backs of the Carolina Panthers.

In May 2014, Means became running backs coach at Winston-Salem State University. He was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Winston-Salem State. [7]

In March 2021, Means became an offensive analyst at North Carolina. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXIX</span> 1995 edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion San Diego Chargers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1994 season. The 49ers defeated the Chargers by the score of 49–26, becoming the first team to win five Super Bowl championships. The game was played on January 29, 1995, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. In turn, this was the first Super Bowl to be played in that area after Hurricane Andrew ravaged the city in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaDainian Tomlinson</span> American football player (born 1979)

LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college football career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft. He spent nine years with the Chargers, earning five Pro Bowl appearances, three Associated Press first-team All-Pro nominations, and two NFL rushing titles. Tomlinson was also voted the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006 after breaking the record for touchdowns in a single season. He played two further seasons with the New York Jets, before retiring. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Az-Zahir Ali Hakim is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He also was a member of the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and Las Vegas Locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Ross</span> American football player and coach (born 1936)

Robert Joseph Ross is an American former football coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel (1973–1977), the University of Maryland, College Park (1982–1986), Georgia Tech (1987–1991), and the United States Military Academy (2004–2006), compiling a career college football coaching record of 103–101–2. Ross was also the head coach of the National Football League's San Diego Chargers from 1992 to 1996 and the Detroit Lions from 1997 to 2000, tallying a career NFL mark of 77–68. He guided his 1990 Georgia Tech squad to the UPI national championship and coached the 1994 San Diego Chargers to an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX.

"The Greatest Show on Turf" was a nickname for the high-flying offense of the St. Louis Rams during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 National Football League (NFL) seasons. The offense was designed by attack-oriented offensive coordinator and head coach Mike Martz who mixed an aerial attack and a run offense in an Air Coryell-style offense. The Rams' offense during these three seasons produced record scoring and yardage, three NFL MVP honors, and two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. In 2000, the team set an NFL record with 7,335 total offensive yards. Of those, 5,492 were passing yards, also an NFL team record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Turner (American football)</span> American football player (born 1982)

Michael “the Burner” Turner is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, earning second-team All-American honors in 2003. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and also played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons. He was a two-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Falcons.

Peter Henry Metzelaars is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 16 seasons in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Detroit Lions. Following his playing career, Metzelaars became a coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Culver</span> American football player (1969–1996)

Rodney Dwayne Culver was an American professional football player who was a running back for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Culver played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers. Over his NFL career, he played in 43 games, rushed for 689 yards on 241 carries and ran for 12 touchdowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Chudzinski</span> American football player and coach (born 1968)

Robert Matthew Chudzinski is an American football coach who is currently the associate head coach on offense for the Boston College Eagles. Chudzinski was the offensive coordinator for several National Football League (NFL) teams and was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns during the 2013 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Chargers</span> American football team history

The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating back to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now known as the Los Angeles Chargers.

The 2007 season was the San Diego Chargers' 38th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 48th overall. After four games, the team failed to equal their 14–2 2006 regular season record, as they immediately stumbled to a bad 1–3 start under new head coach Norv Turner. However, they finished the regular season strongly by winning 10 of 12 games to take the AFC West title. The Chargers went further in the playoffs than the previous year, but fell again to the New England Patriots, this time in the AFC Championship game. For the second consecutive season, star running back LaDainian Tomlinson led the NFL in rushing with 1,474 yards. In the offseason, the Chargers introduced a new logo, with the lightning bolt changing to yellow with bright blue and regular blue outlines. It would be their logo for 10 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Weddle</span> American football player (born 1985)

Eric Steven Weddle is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning consensus All-American honors in 2006. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. During his nine seasons with the Chargers, Weddle received three Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections. He spent his next three seasons as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, earning Pro Bowl honors in each and extending his total selections to six. He retired after playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, but returned two years later to join the Rams on their playoff run, which culminated with a start and a victory in Super Bowl LVI. Following the championship, he retired a second time.

Jermaine Fazande is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tolbert</span> American football player (born 1985)

William Michael Tolbert is an American former football fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Tolbert was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He was also a member of the Carolina Panthers, where he was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2017 after being released by the Carolina Panthers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike McCoy (American football coach)</span> American football coach and player (born 1972)

Michael P. McCoy is an American football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously spent time as quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers, the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals, and four seasons as head coach of the San Diego Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert McClain</span> American football player (born 1988)

Robert "Reggie" McClain is a former American football cornerback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Green Bay Packers season</span> NFL team season

The 2011 Green Bay Packers season was the franchise's 93rd season overall and their 91st in the National Football League (NFL), and the sixth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The team not only improved on their 10–6 record from a season earlier, they became just the sixth team in NFL history to win 15 games during the regular season. As of 2023, the 15–1 record stands as the best in team history, as well as the best record for a defending Super Bowl champion. The Packers won their first 13 games of the season to extend their winning streak from the previous season to 19, the second-longest in NFL history behind the 21-game winning streak of the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004, and also tied the record for the best start to a season in NFC history that the New Orleans Saints had set in 2009. The only loss for the Packers during the regular season was a Week 15 defeat in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. They also became the first NFC North team to go undefeated in the division since the 1987 Chicago Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Hillman</span> American football player (1991–2022)

Ronald Keith Ryan Hillman Jr. was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, earning third-team All-American honors as a sophomore in 2011. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft and was a member of their team that won Super Bowl 50. Hillman later played for the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, and Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian McCaffrey</span> American football player (born 1996)

Christian Jackson McCaffrey, also known by the initials CMC, is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Carolina Panthers eighth overall in the 2017 NFL draft. As a sophomore in 2015, McCaffrey was named AP College Football Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season, with 3,864.

References

  1. "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  2. Kelly, Fletcher (July 10, 2009). "A Forgotten Player Of The NFL: Natrone Means". Bleacher Report.
  3. 1 2 "Natrone Means heading back to North Carolina as an assistant football coach". www.journalnow.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  4. "Chargers 50th anniversary team". The Press-Enterprise. November 17, 2009. Archived from the original on December 18, 2009.
  5. Gehlken, Michael (July 16, 2012). "Fans to decide next Chargers Hall of Famer". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013.
  6. "Natrone Means Stats". ESPN Internet Vnetures. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  7. "Where they are now: Natrone Means". www.jaguars.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.

Bibliography