In 1994, Natrone Means went from relative obscurity to NFL darling.
That season, the second-year running back led the San Diego Chargers with 1,350 yards and a dozen touchdowns.
With the “Natrone Bomb” gobbling up large chunks of yards on the ground, San Diego went to its first (and only, so far) Super Bowl at the end of the year.
Remember when Natrone Means played for the Chargers pic.twitter.com/juhA6mz9MO
— RRelampago_FL ⚡️ (@RRelampagoo_FL) January 14, 2024
As it happened, ‘94 was the only season of his career that Means reached 1,000 yards.
Two years later, he was playing in Jacksonville and helped the overachieving Jaguars reach the AFC Championship Game.
Then, just as soon as he appeared, Means was gone, retiring after the 2000 season.
Since leaving the game as a player, Means has spent the last two decades as a coach, mostly at the collegiate level.
This is the story of Natrone Means.
Pee Wee Playmaker to Freshman Sensation
Natrone Jermaine Means was born on April 26, 1972, in Harrisburg, North Carolina.
Happy Birthday Natrone Means! #Chargers #boltup #chargers pic.twitter.com/6aCf11zDE8
— SD Smoker Grills (@sdsmokergrills) April 26, 2015
By the time he reached elementary school, Means, his older brother, Adrian, and their two cousins spent most of their days playing football.
“We just liked to play around and have a good time,” Means said. “It didn’t matter if we were in the backyard or going against kids from the neighborhood down the street. It didn’t matter if it was flag or tackle, in the grass or on the sidewalk. We were always competing and going at it.”
Natrone watched Adrian’s football practices and studied the way the older kids played the sport.
When he was seven, little Natrone went out for Pee Wee football and was disappointed when he was made to play on the offensive line.
Thankfully, one of his coaches noticed that Means was faster than most of the kids on the team.
That led to a number of trick plays to get the ball to Natrone.
“We ran the ‘fumblerooski’ all year long after he saw how quick I was,” Means said with a laugh. “No. 72 led the team in rushing that year.”
Fast forward to his freshman year at Central Cabarrus in Concord, North Carolina.
Means took some snaps at running back and shocked the coaching staff.
“It’s hard to explain the first time I saw him,” Perry Freeze, who was in charge of running backs for the Vikings, said in 2020. “I had been coaching 10 years, so I was still kind of new. The first time I saw him take a pitchout from the tailback position and go around the end, it was just like ‘Wow!’ He had stuff you can’t coach.”
Despite Means’s obvious talent, the coaches had their young back begin the season on JV.
That didn’t last long.
By the end of the season, Freeze called Means up to varsity to help with a run to the playoffs.
The freshman made the most of his opportunities.
“There was no doubt in my mind he could’ve played varsity that whole year,” Freeze said. “When he came up, we knew what he had.”
UNC Shows Early Interest
Means had barely finished his freshman season of high school ball, and the football coaches at nearby University of North Carolina were already interested.
“After my freshman year, I got a questionnaire from Carolina,” said Means. “I walked around with that thing like it was the Bible. I took that thing with me everywhere. You’d have thought it was a hand-written note from Dick Crum himself, inviting me to dinner at his house.”
As a sophomore, there was still competition at running back for the Vikings’ varsity.
Greatest RB From Every Power Five Program 🏈
North Carolina: Natrone Means (1990-92)
High School: Central Cabarrus High (Concord, NC)#ACCFootballhttps://t.co/sjelxPCbkX pic.twitter.com/aQ5H3x8ydo— stadiumtalkcom (@stadiumtalkcom) August 21, 2023
As much as Freeze wanted to play Means at tailback, he tried the kid at cornerback.
He turned out to be a natural.
“We had to get him on the field somehow,” Freeze explained. “He had great instincts. He was big enough and could move well enough that he could have played linebacker. But we liked him at cornerback. He shut guys down. He had a little nasty streak in him.”
Means did get a few carries here and there.
In fact, his first two carries of the year both went for 60+ yards and two touchdowns and that brought more college interest.
“I’d say South Carolina and Carolina were the two that recruited him the heaviest,” said former Central Cabarrus assistant coach Jim Brown. “South Carolina practically lived at the school. But he got visits and I got calls from all over the country. I remember when Terry Donahue (UCLA’s head coach) wanted to know if there was any use for them coming here to see him. I told them, ‘Probably not. He’s not going to go that far away.’”
Legendary Status
When Means reached his senior year, his legend had only grown even more intense.
Against rival Salisbury, Means sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown while outrunning three of the fastest kids in the state.
That was certainly impressive.
Central great Natrone Means on site today for 50th anniversary of super bowl! #sb50 #Sbhonorroll @NFL @SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/3gLA41GSPr
— Central Cabarrus Vikings (@cc_vikings) February 5, 2016
So was reaching over 2,300 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior and hitting those marks without playing in the second half in all but two games.
Central Cabarrus lost in the playoffs that year and losing wasn’t something that Means took well.
“I was just torn up and distraught,” Means said. “I heard someone calling my name and, without thinking, I reacted and started yelling as I’m turning around. It was my mother. I still hate to lose, but I learned to control my emotions after that.”
As national signing day neared, Means narrowed his college choices to UNC and South Carolina.
He took a visit to Chapel Hill and realized he was home.
“That love for UNC was just always there,” Means said. “It was preached in my house for as long as I can remember. It was always ‘Tar Heels.’”
The Gamecocks didn’t stand a chance and Means committed to the Tar Heels.
Making a Big Impression
Means had grown up a fan of UNC football coach Dick Crum.
However, after the 1987 season, Crum was fired and replaced by former Tulane coach Mack Brown.
Brown’s tenure with the Tar Heels didn’t start well as the team went 1-10 in 1988 and 1989.
The losing was about to change.
When Means arrived for his freshman year, he was already a shade under six feet tall and weighed 230 pounds.
Brown and the UNC coaches initially believed Means was more suited to play fullback.
That wasn’t going to work for Means.
“I didn’t take too many reps there because I didn’t embrace it,” he said. “I’m a running back.”
The 18-year-old only knew how to play one position a certain way and he wanted to prove himself.
“As long as I can remember I played football, I played it one way and I had success at it,” said Means. “It was one of those things that came naturally to me. I always felt comfortable. I didn’t think college would be any different.”
During his first practice, the running backs and linebackers faced off in a drill and Means happened to draw Tommy Thigpen, a terrific defender.
UNC RB Natrone Means pic.twitter.com/4RSEkoExQZ
— Ryan 🏌️ (@RDRinker) January 9, 2020
Means got by Thigpen and scored, bringing the linebacker some light-hearted teasing from his teammates.
It didn’t take Means long to gain the respect of all his teammates.
“Natrone was on our radar immediately,” said Dwight Hollier, a junior linebacker that season. “He was a different back. He was immediately making plays, running around people or through them, whatever he needed to do.”
Means Starts as a Freshman
Means began the season as a backup, but that quickly changed.
After getting some opportunities and scoring a few times in the 1990 season’s first month, the freshman got his chance.
The Tar Heels lost on September 29 to in-state rival, NC State, and the backs ahead of Means only had 98 combined rushing yards.
Before he was an All-Pro in '94 with the @Chargers Natrone Means rumbled his way to more than 3,000 yards and 34 TDs at UNC! #WaybackWednesday pic.twitter.com/vWMPg9ujdB
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) May 16, 2018
Brown turned to Means and gave him the start against Wake Forest on October 6.
The Demon Deacons were ahead at one point 24-10, but Means scored on the ground once, and again on a short pass he corralled at mid-field and sprinted the rest of the way.
By the end of the game, Means had compiled 138 yards and two touchdowns and UNC won, 31-24.
“It was kind of his coming out party and also made a statement that we were legitimate again,” Brown said. “It was a turning of the tide for the program.”
Means ended his freshman year with 849 yards and 10 touchdowns along with 24 receptions for 229 yards and another score.
Rolling Up Yardage
Without a doubt, Means was one of the main reasons that UNC improved to 6-4-1 in 1990.
In 1991, the sophomore shocked opponents with his size and speed.
“People couldn’t fathom how fast he was for his size,” then-UNC running back’s coach Darrell Moody said. “He was a lot faster than people wanted to give him credit for. Not many people caught him from behind. He had great eyes and great balance. He had things you can’t coach.”
Coach Brown enjoyed watching his big back embarrass would-be tacklers.
“He was really freakish,” Brown added. “He was big and strong and had those big thighs and could really run over you, but you were so worried about getting run over, he’d give you a little juke and go around you.”
The Tar Heels went 7-4 in ‘91 while Means rushed for 1,030 yards and 11 touchdowns on 201 attempts.
Being from San Diego – Natrone Means pic.twitter.com/0O4PPVQSts
— Coach Campa (@campa_rich) March 23, 2022
All three stats led the ACC and he was named first-team All-ACC.
In 1992, Means ran for 1,195 yards (249 yards came at the expense of Maryland) and 13 scores and was voted first-team All-ACC again.
UNC won nine games and beat Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl, 21-17, the program’s first bowl win since 1982.
Means was named the Offensive MVP of the contest after running for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Although he could have returned for his senior year, Means declared for the 1993 NFL Draft.
He finished his college career with 3,074 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground and caught 61 passes for 500 yards and one touchdown.
Means was added to the ACC Honors Class in 2022.
San Diego Selects Means
Means didn’t wait too long to hear his name called in the 1993 NFL Draft.
With the 41st overall selection in the second round, the San Diego Chargers took Means and put him in a loaded running back room.
Already on the roster were Marion Butts, Ronnie Harmon, and Eric Bieniemy and Butts had been San Diego’s leading rushing the previous three years.
On Sept 4, 1994, a late 1-yard TD run by RB Natrone Means sealed the Chargers 37-34 victory over the Denver Broncos. pic.twitter.com/SqegwgrrGx
— Vintage NFL (@NFL_vintage) September 5, 2017
Means made himself indispensable to the team and proved worthy of being in the pros.
Despite not starting any games his rookie year, Means gained 645 yards and eight touchdowns on just 160 carries.
Chargers Seahawks
Natrone Means
Husky Stadium Glory#NFL #Chargers #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/oYvEi6n3VV
— Football History by SGPN (@FootballSGPN) May 15, 2024
Butts had 746 yards and scored only four times.
At the end of the ‘93 season, the Chargers were 8-8 and general manager Bobby Beathard realized he had to make a change.
In early 1994, the GM traded Butts to the New England Patriots.
Means was now the Chargers’ starter at running back.
“The Natrone Bomb”
The 1994 Chargers didn’t look like a championship contender before the season began.
A mediocre 1993 season didn’t exactly get the home fans geeked up one year later.
However, quarterback Stan Humphries had looked good the previous two seasons and he won a Super Bowl as a member of the Washington Redskins after the 1991 season.
Right out of the gate, the Bolts stormed to a 6-0 start.
By the halfway point, San Diego was 7-1 and finished the year with an 11-5 record.
Means was a revelation and quickly made the locals forget about Butts.
Natrone Means “Business” says… 20 days til camp, Chargers fans! 💪🏼🏈⚡️#BoltUp #Chargers pic.twitter.com/CetEc03H9y
— Brian Rick (@Chargerswin2024) July 7, 2022
He rumbled for 1,350 yards (second in the AFC) and 12 touchdowns rushing and added 39 receptions and 235 yards receiving (all his stats would prove to be career highs).
Means was also voted by his teammates as the Chargers’ MVP.
His rushing total surpassed Butts’s best year in San Diego and Means held the single-season rushing yards record for the franchise until LaDainian Tomlinson came to town.
The 5’10”, 245-pound bowling ball with legs became a favorite of NFL fans throughout the country and he was given several nicknames such as “Natrone Means Business,” “By Any Means Necessary” and “Natrone Bomb.”
The Natrone Bomb. Means!! https://t.co/Z15zOQ8MhQ pic.twitter.com/zp9mCQbC2R
— Zx Zealot (Mike) (@Zx_Zealot) February 25, 2024
ESPN host Chris Berman bestowed the second-year back with “Refried Means.”
“I really didn’t like that one,” Means said in October.
Even opponents gave the running back respect.
“He’s fast, strong and big,” said Seahawk linebacker Terry Wooden (a few days before Means and the Chargers beat Seattle, 35-15). “He has it all.”
The 1994 Playoffs
The Pro Bowl awaited Means after the season, but first, the team had to focus on the playoffs.
In the divisional round, the Bolts edged Miami, 22-21, and Means scored on a 24-yard run.
Next up were the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers who were playing at home and picked as favorites.
The Steelers led most of the game, but the Bolts shocked Pittsburgh and the rest of the sports world by winning, 17-13.
After the game, Means was asked about his success that season after a quiet rookie year.
“I think other people are more surprised by it. I’m not,” said Means. “I felt if I could get the ball 20-25 times, I could put up some numbers. I feel like in order for us to be a success, the running game has to be successful, and that means me. I never doubted myself.”
Super Bowl XXIX
The Chargers opponent for Super Bowl XXIX would be in-state NFC rival San Francisco.
It had been a very good year for the Niners as quarterback Steve Young and a who’s-who of stars went 13-3.
One of those victories had been a 38-15 rout of the Chargers in Week 15.
However, this was the Super Bowl and it was anyone’s game, at least that’s what San Diego thought.
Sure, the Chargers would have their hands full with San Francisco, but those same Niners had to watch out for Means.
“Natrone has super skills,” said Chargers running backs coach Sylvester Croom. ”We feel he’s more capable of delivering the 10- and 20-yard run on a consistent basis than any man his size.”
Before the game started, oddsmakers installed San Fran as favorites by 18.5 points.
The Niners began the game 14-0 before Means answered with a one-yard touchdown to put the score at 14-7.
Natrone Means punches it in.⚡️ Chargers cut the deficit 14-7
📺: #SBLVIII on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/q0DgYlCHmq pic.twitter.com/p3Yg7m5wvd— ⛷️ (@4vertz_) February 12, 2024
Means’s touchdown made him the youngest player (22) to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl (the record was broken by Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis in Super Bowl XXXV).
Unfortunately, San Francisco had just too much firepower and crushed San Diego, 49-26.
San Diego Releases Means
A year after starting 16 times, Means sustained a groin injury in 1995 and missed six games.
However, he made the most of his time on the field and finished the season with 730 yards and five touchdowns.
(1995) Natrone Means takes it to the house for the big 24-yard touchdown run.
Pure power. 🔥#natronemeans #natrone #means #natronemeansbusiness #nfl #sandiegochargers #sandiego #chargers #boltup #football #run #touchdown #playoffs #sport #iconic #classic #legend #greatness pic.twitter.com/W0Cc4mdbSE— In The Showcase (@intheshowcase) February 21, 2023
San Diego had enough talent to go 9-7 and return to the playoffs, the first time the organization made the postseason in back-to-back years since the early 1980s.
The Indianapolis Colts then ended their season with a 35-20 drubbing of the Bolts in the wild-card round.
Then, in February of 1996, the Chargers stunned the NFL world when they released Means after only three years.
“My agent [Tank Black] called me and said, ‘I just got off the phone with [San Diego general manager] Bobby Beathard, and he said they’re going to release you,'” Means recalled in 1997. “Then Coach [Bobby] Ross called, talked to me for two minutes, said, ‘Sorry, Natrone, it just didn’t work out,’ and that was it. I was in shock.”
Not long after, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, a 1995 expansion team that went 4-12 in its first season.
Means and the 1996 Jags Make a Run
It wasn’t exactly a secret that Means was cut by San Diego because team management didn’t think he could keep his weight down.
They believed that his weight would lead to more injuries and time lost on the field.
Jacksonville was coached by Tom Coughlin at the time, a noted taskmaster.
Means feared that his new coach would immediately ride him about his weight as well and push him beyond his limits.
That didn’t happen.
“At our first meeting, he told me, ‘I’m sure you’ve heard all sorts of stuff about me. It’s all b.s. But I am the kind of coach who’ll tell you what to expect.’ After that, we coexisted,” Means recalled.
Coughlin and Means may have gotten along, but Means had a hard time getting yards.
Am I the only 90s kid not from North Carolina or Northeast Florida who was a big Natrone Means fan? Him returning to UNC brings back so many memories.
Before Fred Taylor, Natrone Means ran everyone over in Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/UtKX6oKdtd
— Matt L. Stephens (@MattStephens) March 23, 2021
He continued to struggle with his weight and also broke a thumb during the preseason.
Then, second-year back, James Stewart, took the starting job.
By Week 15, Means had all of 305 rushing yards, not what he or the Jags expected.
“I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I was a product of the system in San Diego,'” he said. “But I was getting to know the offensive linemen, and they were getting to know me.”
Suddenly, he went on a tear.
In Week 16 against Seattle, Means rushed for 92 yards and added 110 against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17.
He finished the season with 507 yards and three total touchdowns.
Means Paces Jacksonville
Jacksonville as a franchise was in a groove as well.
As Means was gaining yards, the Jags overcame a 4-7 start to end the season 9-7.
Remarkably, that qualified the team for the playoffs in just its second year of existence.
In the wild-card round against Buffalo, the Jags weren’t given a chance.
Means promptly ran for 175 yards and a score and Jacksonville pulled off the upset, 30-27.
Natrone Means. Pretty much single-handedly ended the Bills & Broncos in the 96 playoffs https://t.co/AwNAFKkfw3 pic.twitter.com/p1eB979fY5
— Steve Schale (@steveschale) April 2, 2022
The following week, the team traveled to Denver where the Broncos and quarterback John Elway awaited.
Just like the Bills game, the Jags were supposed to get run out of town.
However, the collection of Means, quarterback Mark Brunell, receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, a hefty offensive line, and a talented defense kept the Broncos honest.
Means pounded the Denver defense for 140 yards and a touchdown and the winning Jags repeated their score from the previous week, 30-27.
Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe and his teammates couldn’t believe what happened.
“If I had a thousand tongues, I couldn’t describe how bad I feel inside,” Sharpe said. “I feel like I let John down. I think the team let him down. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over this. It will be until the turn of the century, at least, before this franchise gets over this.”
All that was left was a showdown against New England.
If Jacksonville could win one more game, it would play in Super Bowl XXXI.
Unfortunately, the dream season ended as the Patriots held Means to 43 yards and beat Jacksonville, 20-6.
Goin’ Back to Cali
In 1997, Means got more playing time and started 11 games while gaining 823 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Jacksonville returned to the playoffs with an 11-5 record but lost to Denver in the wild-card round.
Not long after the ‘97 season, Means returned to San Diego as a free agent.
The Chargers embarked on a tumultuous season with both Kevin Gilbride and June Jones taking turns as head coaches.
Means did his part with 883 yards and five touchdowns.
San Diego reminisces #20, RB Natrone Jermaine Means. pic.twitter.com/itXLQJIjW8
— Johnny Silva (@Noooplll) January 1, 2024
One year later, new coach Mike Riley got San Diego to 8-8 while Means gained only 277 yards and four touchdowns in five starts.
Then, before the 2000 NFL season began, Means signed with the Carolina Panthers.
He appeared in only one game and didn’t post any stats.
When the season concluded, he retired after eight years.
During his career, Means had 5,215 yards and 45 touchdowns rushing and added 103 receptions, 631 yards, and two scores receiving.
He was a one-time Pro Bowler and played in a Super Bowl.
Means was later added to the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.
Second Life as a Coach
In 2005, Means decided to return to football as a coach and began his second career at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.
There, he joined former NFL player Robert Massey’s staff as the running backs coach.
“He’s a big name, not only for publicity but for recruiting,” Massey said. “And he’s a hell of a coach. He has a good football mind. Knowing that he’s a former pro athlete, the kids will be very attentive and will work hard for him.”
Means remained at Livingstone through 2006 and also participated in the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship Program to further learn the tools of the trade.
After a stint at the high school ranks in 2007 and 2008, Means coached at Winston-Salem State from 2014-2019 and Fayetteville State in 2020.
Central Cabarrus product and absolute NFL bruiser Natrone Means will join Mack Brown’s staff. https://t.co/WQAxOUwlLA
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) March 23, 2021
In 2021, Means returned to his college home at UNC to be an offensive analyst for Mack Brown, who returned to the program in 2019.
Means and his wife, Shonda, have four children and they currently reside in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
References
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-08-sp-17800-story.html
https://goheels.com/news/2022/11/2/natrone-means-named-on-2022-acc-football-honors-class
https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/09/01/2-jacksonville-jaguars
https://www.jaguars.com/news/jacksonville-jaguars-claim-former-charger-rb-natrone-means-5841125
https://goheels.com/news/2021/11/4/football-extra-points-natrone-bomb
https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2010/6/25/1532110/where-are-they-now-natrone-means
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/natrone-means-1.html
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MeanNa00.htm
https://goheels.com/staff-directory/natrone-means/3314
https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp950127/01270867.htm
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/oct/25/means-just-couldnt-run-away-forever/
A Forgotten Player Of The NFL: Natrone Means
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19941028&slug=1938391
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