MarTay Jenkins
Encyclopedia
MarTay Jenkins is a former American football
wide receiver
in the National Football League
as well as the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League
. He was drafted
in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
by the Dallas Cowboys
. He played college football
Nebraska-Omaha
.
In his career, Jenkins also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals
, where he spent most of his career, Atlanta Falcons
, Denver Broncos
and Arizona Rattlers
and Calgary Stampeders
.
and attended North High School
.
for 848 yards and eight touchdown
s. After suffering a season ending knee
injury in the opening game of the 1997 seasn, he returned in 1998, recording 66 receptions for 1,420 yards and 11 touchdowns.
in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
. However, he was released during training camp
. He was later claimed off waiver by the Arizona Cardinals
on September 6.
On December 10, 2000
, Jenkins broke three league records in a 44-10 Cardinals loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars
. He broke the record for kickoff returns in a season, kickoff return yardage in a season and combined kickoff and punt return yardage in a season. He finished the season with a record 2,186 kick return yards.
On September 22, 2002, Jenkins recorded a 65-yard touchdown reception from quarterback
Jake Plummer
, which allowed Plummer to surpass 15,000 yards passing for his career. On November 3, he suffered a fractured scapula
and missed the rest of the season.
Jenkins was released after the 2002 season, due to asking for a contract similar to the $
3 million-a-year contract that San Diego Chargers
wide receiver/kick returner
Tim Dwight
had signed the year prior. After the season, several teams expressed an interest in Jenkins. On March 21, 2003, it was reported that the Houston Texans
offered Jenkins a contract. One week later, Jenkins was signed to a contract with the Atlanta Falcons
. He was released by the Falcons on August 31. On September 11, he was re-signed by the Cardinals, however, he failed a team physical nullyfing the contract. On December 30, Jenkins was signed to a future contract by the Denver Broncos
. He was then again released on July 27, 2004.
of the Arena Football League. However, on January 21, 2005, he was released.
of the Canadian Football League
. For the season, he recorded 25 receptions for 382 yards and four touchdowns.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
as well as the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
Nebraska-Omaha
UNO Mavericks
The Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks are the sports teams of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They participate in the NCAA's Division II and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, except in ice hockey. The hockey program competes in Division I as a member of the Western Collegiate...
.
In his career, Jenkins also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, where he spent most of his career, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
and Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
.
Early years
Jenkins was born in Waterloo, IowaWaterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
and attended North High School
North High School (Des Moines)
North High School, usually referred to simply as North, is a secondary school located in Des Moines, Iowa. It is one of five secondary schools under the district of the Des Moines Public Schools.The school's mascot is the Polar Bear.-Curriculum:...
.
College career
Jenkins attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha and as a sophomore he led the team with 36 receptionsReception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 848 yards and eight touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. After suffering a season ending knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
injury in the opening game of the 1997 seasn, he returned in 1998, recording 66 receptions for 1,420 yards and 11 touchdowns.
National Football League
Jenkins was selected by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. However, he was released during training camp
Training camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
. He was later claimed off waiver by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 6.
On December 10, 2000
2000 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2000 Arizona Cardinals season was the Cards' 13th season in Arizona. The Cardinals ranked 24th in the NFL in total offense and 30th in total defense...
, Jenkins broke three league records in a 44-10 Cardinals loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He broke the record for kickoff returns in a season, kickoff return yardage in a season and combined kickoff and punt return yardage in a season. He finished the season with a record 2,186 kick return yards.
On September 22, 2002, Jenkins recorded a 65-yard touchdown reception from quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Jake Plummer
Jake Plummer
Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State....
, which allowed Plummer to surpass 15,000 yards passing for his career. On November 3, he suffered a fractured scapula
Scapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
and missed the rest of the season.
Jenkins was released after the 2002 season, due to asking for a contract similar to the $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3 million-a-year contract that San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
wide receiver/kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...
Tim Dwight
Tim Dwight
Timothy Deutch Dwight, Jr. is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
had signed the year prior. After the season, several teams expressed an interest in Jenkins. On March 21, 2003, it was reported that the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
offered Jenkins a contract. One week later, Jenkins was signed to a contract with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was released by the Falcons on August 31. On September 11, he was re-signed by the Cardinals, however, he failed a team physical nullyfing the contract. On December 30, Jenkins was signed to a future contract by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was then again released on July 27, 2004.
Arena Football League
On October 21, 2004, Jenkins signed with the Arizona RattlersArizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
of the Arena Football League. However, on January 21, 2005, he was released.
Canadian Football League
On May 29, 2005, Jenkins signed with the Calgary StampedersCalgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. For the season, he recorded 25 receptions for 382 yards and four touchdowns.