Tony McGee (defensive lineman)

Last updated

Tony McGee
No. 71, 78
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1949-01-18) January 18, 1949 (age 75)
Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school: Battle Creek
College: Wyoming, Bishop
NFL draft: 1971  / Round: 3 / Pick: 64
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:103.0
Fumble recoveries:12
Player stats at PFR

Anthony Eugene McGee (born January 18, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), including two Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys before being dismissed as part of the Black 14 in 1969. McGee continued his college career with the Bishop Tigers and was selected in the third round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

Contents

College career

Born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan, McGee played college football at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. In his junior season in 1969,the team was off to a 4–0 start, ranked #16 in the AP poll, [1] and appeared headed for a fourth straight conference title. But on Friday, October 17, the day before the home game against BYU, McGee and thirteen other African American players went to head coach Lloyd Eaton's office to discuss how they might participate in a protest called by the UW Black Students Alliance against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tenet which prohibited black men from becoming priests. As soon as Eaton saw them wearing black arm bands, he took them into the Memorial Fieldhouse bleachers and immediately informed them they were all off the team because they violated the coach's rule against participating in demonstrations. [2] [3] [4]

The rule was withdrawn the next week, but the players were not reinstated. McGee and five others were starters, and after this, the Wyoming football program was not the same. Although the suddenly all-white Cowboys defeated BYU and San Jose State to improve to 6–0, they lost their four road games in November. In 1970, the Cowboys went 1–9 and Eaton "retired" from coaching, reassigned to assistant athletic director. [5] Wyoming posted only one winning season in the 1970s, in 1976.

Three of the Black 14 underclassmen returned to the team in 1970, [5] but McGee finished his college career in Texas at Bishop College in Dallas. He was projected to be a first round pick in the 1971 NFL Draft, but fell to the third round (64th overall) because word passed around that he was a troublemaker due to his dismissal from Wyoming and his involvement in the Black 14.

Professional career

McGee played 14 years as a defensive lineman in the NFL with the Chicago Bears (1971–73), New England Patriots (1974–81), and Washington Redskins (1982–85). Known as "Mac the Sack" because of his ability to get to the quarterback, McGee had a career total of 106.5 sacks. A durable defensive lineman, McGee played in 203 games, missing only one game during his entire NFL career. He was a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. While with the Redskins, McGee played in Super Bowls XVII (1983) and XVIII (1984), winning the former.

TV career

McGee is the founder and host of the longest running minority-owned sports talk show in the Washington, D.C. region. His "Pro Football Plus" television show is celebrating thirty-eight seasons of broadcasting excellence.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron McDole</span> American football player (born 1939)

Roland Owen McDole is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deacon Jones</span> American football player (1938–2013)

David D. "Deacon" Jones was an American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Nathaniel Newton is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers. He also was a member of the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football for the Florida A&M Rattlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernie Stautner</span> American football player and coach

Ernest Alfred Stautner was a German-American professional football player and coach. He played as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also served as a coach for the Steelers, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles. Stautner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

Kenneth Ray Houston is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rayfield Wright</span> American football player (1945-2022)

Larry Rayfield Wright was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Wilcox</span> American football player (1942–2023)

David Wilcox, nicknamed "the Intimidator", was an American football linebacker who played with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1974. He was selected to play in seven Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro five times during his career. He played college football for the Boise Junior College and the Oregon Webfoots. He was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 1964 NFL draft and also was selected by the Houston Oilers in the sixth round of the 1964 AFL draft, but he decided to play in the NFL. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Lander McCoy Bacon was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Washington Redskins. He also was a member of the Washington Federals in the United States Football League (USFL). He was selected to three Pro Bowls during his 14-year career. While sacks were not an official statistic during his career, researchers credit Bacon with a career total of 130. He played college football for the Jackson State Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hanburger</span> American football player (born 1941)

Christian G. Hanburger, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire 14-year career with the Washington Redskins, from 1965 through 1978, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boyd Dowler</span> American football player, coach, and scout (born 1937)

Boyd Hamilton Dowler is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played 12 seasons from 1959 to 1971, 11 with the Green Bay Packers and one with the Washington Redskins.

Lloyd W. Eaton was an American football player, coach, and executive. He served as the head coach at Alma College (1949–1955), Northern Michigan University (1956), and the University of Wyoming (1962–1970), compiling a career college football record of 104–53–4. Eaton then worked as the director of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Despite winning five conference championships with two teams, he is perhaps most known for his decision to kick 14 black players off of the Wyoming football team for discussing a protest against discrimination in 1969 that is infamously referred to as the "Black 14" incident.

Richard David Robinson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and professionally for the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins. Robinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football</span> University of Hawaii football team

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. It was part of the Western Athletic Conference until July 2012, when the team joined the Mountain West Conference. From 2000 until 2013, the team was known simply as the Warriors. The Rainbow Warriors were the third team from a non automatic qualifier conference to play in a BCS bowl game. They played the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2008 Sugar Bowl and lost 41–10.

John Leonard Wilbur was a professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. He also was a member of The Hawaiians in the World Football League (WFL). He played college football at Stanford University.

John Christian Gesek Jr. is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Sacramento State Hornets and was selected in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL draft. Gesek won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys over the Buffalo Bills as a starting offensive lineman.

Walter Robert Yowarsky was an American football defensive end, offensive lineman, coach, and scout in the National Football League (NFL) for 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming Cowboys football</span> Football team for the University of Wyoming

The Wyoming Cowboys football program represents the University of Wyoming in college football. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and have won 14 conference titles. The head coach is Jay Sawvel who is entering his first season as head coach in 2024 after previously serving as the Wyoming Defense Coordinator for the previous four seasons.

The 1969 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

Joseph Harold Williams is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He played college football at the University of Wyoming.

The 1970 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

References

  1. ↑ "3 schools gain; Ohio State firm". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. October 14, 1969. p. 15.
  2. ↑ Putnam, Pat (November 3, 1969). "No Defeats, Loads of Trouble". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
  3. ↑ "Wyoming loses 14 players in dispute" . Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ Block, Joel. "The Wyoming 14 and athlete's rights". Michigan Daily. (Ann Arbor). (editorial). p. 9.
  5. 1 2 "No regrets says Eaton, 13 years after 'crash'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. May 14, 1982. p. 17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.