Quick Facts
Biography
Natrone Jermaine Means (born April 26, 1972) is a former professional American Football running back who played for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1993 to 2000. He was selected by the Chargers in the 2nd round (41st overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft. In 1994, he was selected to 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,
College career
Means attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and finished his career with 605 rushing attempts for 3,074 yards (5.1 yards per rushing attempt avg.), and 34 touchdowns, and hauled in 61 receptions for 500 yards (8.19 yards per rec. avg.). He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as both a sophomore and junior.
- 1990: 168 carries for 849 yards with 10 TD. 24 catches for 229 yards with 1 TD.
- 1991: 201 carries for 1,030 yards with 11 TD. 23 catches for 178 yards.
- 1992: 236 carries for 1,195 yards with 13 TD. 14 catches for 93 yards.
Professional career
Means played from 1993 to 1995 for the Chargers, and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1994 after leading his team to Super Bowl XXIX versus 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 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 2000 season.
Means was named to the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team in 2009. He was a finalist in 2012 to be inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.
NFL stats
Rushing Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | SD | 16 | 160 | 645 | 4.0 | 65 | 8 | 48 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994 | SD | 16 | 343 | 1,350 | 3.9 | 25 | 12 | 79 | 5 | 4 |
| 1995 | SD | 10 | 186 | 730 | 3.9 | 36 | 5 | 39 | 2 | 2 |
| 1996 | JAX | 14 | 152 | 507 | 3.3 | 35 | 2 | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| 1997 | JAX | 14 | 244 | 823 | 3.4 | 20 | 9 | 43 | 4 | 3 |
| 1998 | SD | 10 | 212 | 883 | 4.2 | 72 | 5 | 42 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | SD | 7 | 112 | 277 | 2.5 | 15 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 87 | 1,409 | 5,215 | 3.7 | 72 | 45 | 294 | 16 | 12 |
Receiving Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Yards per Reception | Longest Reception | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | SD | 16 | 10 | 59 | 5.9 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | SD | 16 | 39 | 235 | 6.0 | 22 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | SD | 10 | 7 | 46 | 6.6 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | JAX | 14 | 7 | 45 | 6.4 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | JAX | 14 | 15 | 104 | 6.9 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | SD | 10 | 16 | 91 | 5.7 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | SD | 7 | 9 | 51 | 5.7 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 87 | 103 | 631 | 6.1 | 22 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 1 |
College coaching career
In 2005 Natrone Means joined the staff of Livingstone College in North Carolina, one of the first black colleges to play collegiate football. In 2005 he became Running Backs Coach, and in 2006 was promoted to Offensive Coordinator. He was recruited by Head Coach Robert Massey, who knew Means because they both played for 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. As of Training Camp for the 2008 season, Natrone is once again participating in the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program working with the running backs, especially Jonathan Stewart of the Carolina Panthers.
In May 2014, Natrone Means became running backs coach at Winston-Salem State University.
Personal
Natrone is married to Shonda Means, they have 4 children and reside in Huntersville, North Carolina.