Ronney Jenkins Ronney Jenkins ( born May 25 , 1977 ) is an American football player from Los Angeles , California . At 5 - foot - 11 and 190 pounds , Ronney Jenkins is a relatively small football player , but he is noted for his tremendous speed . High school career . Jenkins had an outstanding prep career while playing for Hueneme High School in Oxnard , California , and he garnered much national attention during his senior season . On November 9 , 1995 , he set the national record for most yards rushing in a single game during a 52 - 34 victory over Rio Mesa High School . Jenkins carried the ball 30 times for 619 yards and 7 touchdowns . The previous record of 608 yards had been set by John Bunch in Arkansas in 1974 . Jenkins ' total shattered the California state record of 507 yards , set by David Dotson of Valley View High School in 1991 . The national record stood until 2006 , when Paul McCoy of Matewan High School rushed for 658 yards in a single game . College career . Jenkins was heavily recruited by many schools across the country , but chose to play at Brigham Young University because BYU had shown interest in him long before his record - breaking single - game performance . His freshman season with the Cougars ( 1996 ) was impressive : he rushed for 733 yards and scored a team - high 14 touchdowns ( including 11 rushing TDs ) despite being a backup to Brian McKenzie the entire season . He also led the Cougars in kickoff returning ; for his efforts , he was named WAC Freshman of the Year . With help from Jenkins , BYU beat Kansas State University in the Cotton Bowl Classic and finished the year with a 14 - 1 record , becoming the first team in the history of Division I - A football to win 14 games in a season . In the off - season , BYU suspended Jenkins for violating the school ' s " honor code " . He was forced to sit out the entire 1997 season , but returned as BYU ' s full - time starter at tailback in 1998 . He was the Cougars ' top offensive weapon that season , rushing for 1 , 307 yards ( at the time , the second - highest total in school history ) . He also totaled 15 touchdowns , which tied for the second - highest total in school history . He was named to the 1998 All - WAC 2nd Team . In a 46 - 43 victory over San Jose State , Jenkins rushed for 250 yards ( the second - highest total in BYU history ) and scored 5 touchdowns , which tied a school record . In 1999 , Jenkins was again disciplined by BYU for violating the honor code . Because it was a second offense , he was expelled from the school . He transferred to Northern Arizona University . He played one season for the Lumberjacks , but made a big impact while he was there . He rushed for 1 , 051 yards and 7 touchdowns , and added 67 receptions for 716 yards and 10 touchdowns . For his efforts , he was named to the All - Big Sky 2nd Team . Professional career . Jenkins entered the NFL in 2000 as a rookie free agent . He joined the San Diego Chargers and almost immediately became the team ' s top kickoff returner . In his rookie season , he set franchise records for most kickoff returns ( 67 ) and most kickoff return yards ( 1 , 531 ) , eclipsing totals set by Andre Coleman in 1995 . He returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 , and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week . In 2001 , he was even better . He averaged 26 . 6 yards per kickoff return , leading the entire NFL in that category . He totaled 1 , 541 yards in kickoff returns , which broke the team record he had set in 2000 . In a game against the Oakland Raiders , he totaled 250 yards in kickoff returns , which set another team record . In the game , he had a 93 - yard kickoff return for a touchdown and added a 67 - yard return to start the second half . Jenkins also had an 88 - yard touchdown return against the Denver Broncos , and added a 72 - yard return against the Buffalo Bills . He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October 2001 , and was chosen as an alternate for the AFC ' s Pro Bowl team . Jenkins was limited by injuries in 2002 , but still managed to return 40 kickoffs for 925 yards ( an average of 23 . 1 yards per return ) . In just three seasons , Jenkins had become the Chargers ' all - time leader in kickoff return yards with 3 , 997 . In 2003 , Jenkins signed a free agent contract with the Raiders . In the 2003 season , he was again limited by injuries ( a severe ankle sprain ) . He played in just seven games , returning 25 kickoffs for 553 yards . When the Raiders needed to clear space on their roster for the addition of veteran quarterback Rob Johnson , they decided to waive Jenkins . Jenkins spent the 2004 off - season with the Saints , but was waived by the team before the regular season began . In September 2004 , he signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League . He saw limited action in his first season in the CFL ; in five games , he rushed 11 times for 50 yards and caught 4 passes for 30 yards . He did not see much action in his second season , either : he rushed 11 times for 84 yards and added 3 receptions for 13 yards . The Stampeders released Jenkins in September 2005 . The following year , he joined the Calgary Gators of the Alberta Football League