No. 42 | |||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | December 29, 1947||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 217 lb (98 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Orlando (FL) | ||||||
College: | South Carolina State | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1970 / round: 5 / pick: 108 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Clifford M. McClain (born December 29, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the New York Jets. [1] He played college football for the South Carolina State Bulldogs.
After four seasons as a backup running back with the Jets, McClain signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1974 season, which led to the Jets receiving linebacker Jamie Rivers and offensive guard Roger Bernhardt as compensation. [2] During the 1974 preseason, he was traded to the Chicago Bears as part of a package for wide receiver Earl Thomas, but was cut by the Bears. [3] [4] He then played the 1974 season for the Florida Blazers of the World Football League (WFL). [5] McClain attempted to rejoin the NFL in 1975 but was cut after a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons. [6]
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The league folded midway through its second season, in 1975. A new minor football league began play as the World Football League in 2008 after acquiring the rights to its trademarks and intellectual property; it folded in 2011.
William Earl Bergey is an American former football linebacker who played professionally for 12 seasons, most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles of National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL) in 1969, the year before the AFL–NFL merger was completed, and continued to play with the Bengals in the NFL until 1973. Bergey subsequently signed with the Eagles the following year, where he played seven seasons until retiring in 1981.
The Memphis Southmen, also known as the Memphis Grizzlies, were an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. They played in the World Football League (WFL), which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
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The Portland Thunder was an American football team in the World Football League based out of Portland, Oregon. When the World Football League was created in October 1973, the Storm was the original New York franchise. When the Boston Bulls merged with New York to become the New York Stars, the original New York entry's draft picks were eventually relocated to Portland. They were the first major league football team based in Portland. They played at then Civic Stadium, now known as Providence Park.
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The 1975 World Football League season was the second and last season of the World Football League. The 1975 season was to be an 18-game season over a twenty-week schedule.
Rufus Ferguson, nicknamed "the Roadrunner", is a former American football running back.
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John Sykes was an American football running back. Sykes played college football at Morgan State University, where he broke several rushing records previously held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly. In his senior year and Morgan State he rushed for 1007 yards on 193 carries. That year he was named an honorable mention to the Little All-America college football team and named to the all-MEAC team.
Cephus Weatherspoon is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) and the Birmingham Vulcans of the World Football League (WFL).