Clarence Jenkins
From Hoopedia
Clarence Reginald "Fats" Jenkins (January 10, 1898 - December 6, 1968) was an African American professional athlete. In basketball he starred as a youth for the amateur St. Christopher Club. As an adult he led the professional New York Rens. At the same time he played baseball in the off-season, as a left fielder in the Negro Leagues from 1920 through 1940.
Jenkins was born in New York City. He was not fat; rather, he was muscular, but quick. He was noted for his ball-handling abilities and his outside shooting. Although, at 5' 6-1/2", he was usually the shortest player on the court, he often jumped center. Recall, too, that there was a jump ball after each basket until 1936. Jenkins was a model athlete: he did not drink, smoke or chew tobacco.
While still a teenager Jenkins started playing for the St. Christopher Club youth team. As a young man he played on the St. C.'s teams that were crowned Colored Basketball World's Champions in 1917, 1918 and 1919.
Jenkins played basketball professionally for the New York Incorporators, the Loendi Big Five (who were Colored World's Champions, 1920-23) and the Commonwealth Big Five (Colored World's Champions, 1924) before he was signed by the New York Renaissance ("Rens"). He was Rens team captain, 1925-40.
He died at age 70 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1963, Jenkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Rens, one of the five teams to be inducted as a group.
