I'm watching The 2012 World's Strongest Man on ESPN. The guy currently in 2nd place in Group 2 is Mike Jenkins. The announcers said, "Mike Jenkins, former James Madison University football player. 29 yrs old and won a strongman competition last year." Resides in Hershey, PA and is 6'6, 400 lbs. This event just got started and will run all day.

That's why our dining hall is rated tops. I don't remember that guy.... http://www.jmu.edu/bethechange/stories/A...tMan.shtml

In that pic it looks like he is stealing my truck. OK, all you PC cockroaches who hide in the woodwork, come out and clobber me for making fun of criminals.

Jenkins is mentioned in the book "Midnight in Chattanooga". Sounds like he was a former/spot starter from 2001-2003 starter that provided quality depth during our 2004 Championship season.

Here's the part of the book that mentions Jenkins:

This would be the core of the line for the rebuilding years under Matthews. Dunn
and Jenkins rounded out the original mix , both starting in stints between 2001 and
2003. Jenkins a physical freak was 6 foot five 290 pounds and looked like a
bodybuilder. "Mike was a man child" Steinfeld said. Jenkins was a transfer from Kent
State, had lettered in football basketball and lacrosse in high school and was
one of the more recognizable Dukes around campus. He shaved his head, wore earrings
and spent most of the off-season in the gym. A few Madison students referred to
him as "Vin D-Hall."

Mike was a staple gym rat at UREC. If you missed him I guess you were on the treadmills...

Wow just googled him... He looks 100lbs bigger than the last time I saw him and not in the best way. He played football after JMU for an indoor league. He's actually a nice/cool guy. I'm going to start following strongman (again).

As I recall, Mike suffered some sort of quirky career ending injury, and wasn't able to complete his full 4 years on the OL, opting out of his Senior year. At the time he was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) guys on the team. Glad to read that he has found a niche and has excelled at it! Sounds like a story for the alumni magazine. ;-)

He really performed well against top contenders...guy is absolutely massive. I'm 6'4, 250 and he makes me look like a flyweight.

I do remember him playing for JMU - mainly because he had the same name as someone else who I knew at JMU.

Promotional video in 2011 for the big, annual Philadelphia Strongman contest that used to be held every summer. Mike Jenkins and myself both competed in that contest. Group photo of the competitors, 8-10 second mark of the video, Mike is on the far right, and I am standing right next to him. I think Mike was about 360-370 at the time, about 30-40 lbs heavier than I was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxogt5ueUyc
I think 9 of the 14 guys in that contest had competed or later went on to compete in the World's Strongest Man (course I was not one of them). Only reason I was in that contest is because I'm friends with the promoter and they wanted a local guy.

In one event, the 305 lb overhead log press for reps, 75 seconds, with 2 competitors going at a time, Mike and I were going head to head. The guy on the PA mentioned announced to the crowd (was a pretty big crowd) about 2 former JMU guys going head to head, which was pretty cool. Someone filmed it for Mike. He is on the right, and I am on the left (you can see he gets double the reps I did).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9-hefTbVNY

Mike I think only started in strongman I think around around 2008. Mike got 2nd in that Philly contest to then about 6'6"/400 lb, later about 440 lb, Brian Shaw, who won WSM in 2011. Me? I was dead last place of the 13 guys who finished the contest, and that was the end of my strongman career...

The time I did strongman, off and on from 05'-11', I never met or heard of anyone else from JMU competing, at least at any of the bigger contests, besides Mike.

(05-12-2013 09:06 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  Promotional video in 2011 for the big, annual Philadelphia Strongman contest that used to be held every summer. Mike Jenkins and myself both competed in that contest. Group photo of the competitors, 8-10 second mark of the video, Mike is on the far right, and I am standing right next to him. I think Mike was about 360-370 at the time, about 30-40 lbs heavier than I was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxogt5ueUyc
I think 9 of the 14 guys in that contest had competed or later went on to compete in the World's Strongest Man (course I was not one of them). Only reason I was in that contest is because I'm friends with the promoter and they wanted a local guy.

In one event, the 305 lb overhead log press for reps, 75 seconds, with 2 competitors going at a time, Mike and I were going head to head. The guy on the PA mentioned announced to the crowd (was a pretty big crowd) about 2 former JMU guys going head to head, which was pretty cool. Someone filmed it for Mike. He is on the right, and I am on the left (you can see he gets double the reps I did).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9-hefTbVNY

Mike I think only started in strongman I think around around 2008. Mike got 2nd in that Philly contest to then about 6'6"/400 lb, later about 440 lb, Brian Shaw, who won WSM in 2011. Me? I was dead last place of the 13 guys who finished the contest, and that was the end of my strongman career...

The time I did strongman, off and on from 05'-11', I never met or heard of anyone else from JMU competing, at least at any of the bigger contests, besides Mike.

Impressive! Not only are you a very strong dude, but I noted that everyone else wore black shorts and being the non-conformist that you are you wore gray shorts. Great videos. Thanks!

(05-13-2013 01:56 AM)bulldogg Wrote:  

(05-12-2013 09:06 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  Promotional video in 2011 for the big, annual Philadelphia Strongman contest that used to be held every summer. Mike Jenkins and myself both competed in that contest. Group photo of the competitors, 8-10 second mark of the video, Mike is on the far right, and I am standing right next to him. I think Mike was about 360-370 at the time, about 30-40 lbs heavier than I was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxogt5ueUyc
I think 9 of the 14 guys in that contest had competed or later went on to compete in the World's Strongest Man (course I was not one of them). Only reason I was in that contest is because I'm friends with the promoter and they wanted a local guy.

In one event, the 305 lb overhead log press for reps, 75 seconds, with 2 competitors going at a time, Mike and I were going head to head. The guy on the PA mentioned announced to the crowd (was a pretty big crowd) about 2 former JMU guys going head to head, which was pretty cool. Someone filmed it for Mike. He is on the right, and I am on the left (you can see he gets double the reps I did).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9-hefTbVNY

Mike I think only started in strongman I think around around 2008. Mike got 2nd in that Philly contest to then about 6'6"/400 lb, later about 440 lb, Brian Shaw, who won WSM in 2011. Me? I was dead last place of the 13 guys who finished the contest, and that was the end of my strongman career...

The time I did strongman, off and on from 05'-11', I never met or heard of anyone else from JMU competing, at least at any of the bigger contests, besides Mike.

Impressive! Not only are you a very strong dude, but I noted that everyone else wore black shorts and being the non-conformist that you are you wore gray shorts. Great videos. Thanks!

Thanks Bulldog.

Brian Shaw had on grayish shorts. Someone else in the back of the group photo I think might have too. Promoter didn't have any rules on the shorts- just most guys wore black.

We used to refer to him as Mr. Clean. He was one of the biggest men I had ever seen when I was a freshman...I can only imagine what he looks like in person now.

Wait, was this the cat at D-Hall who used to eat only hardboiled eggs & hamburgers (no buns) piled HIGH?