Natrone Means


Natrone Jermaine Means 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 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, and 34 touchdowns, and hauled in 61 receptions for 500 yards. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as both a sophomore and junior.
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 statistics

Rushing Statistics
YearTeamGamesCarriesYardsYards per CarryLongest CarryTouchdownsFirst DownsFumblesFumbles Lost
1993SD161606454.06584811
1994SD163431,3503.925127954
1995SD101867303.93653922
1996JAX141525073.33522731
1997JAX142448233.42094343
1998SD102128834.27254211
1999SD71122772.51541600
Career871,4095,2153.772452941612

Receiving Statistics
YearTeamGamesReceptionsYardsYards per ReceptionLongest ReceptionTouchdownsFirst DownsFumblesFumbles Lost
1993SD1610595.9110300
1994SD16392356.0220900
1995SD107466.6140100
1996JAX147456.4111200
1997JAX14151046.9210310
1998SD1016915.7220311
1999SD79515.7121200
Career871036316.12222321

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 is currently the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Winston-Salem State.