Who is Don McNeal?

Presented by: Patti Henderson, Media Specialist

Sanford Middle SchoolSeptember, 2010

University of Alabama Position: Defensive Back, #28 Years Lettered: 1977, 1978, 1979 Hometown (H.S.): McCullough, AL

College Career:Member of 1979 National Championship team

Inducted into Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2008)

1979 First Team All-American Selected as member of Alabama All-Decade team

of 1970s Member of 1978 Co-National Championship

team

In September of 1979, Alabama played Baylor. “In this game, Don McNeal was graded 100 percent for his efforts… “ Coach Bear Bryant checked previous charts to determine that this was the first time since the days of Lee Roy Jordan that a defender had been perfect.” (Lee Roy Jordan played for the Crimson Tide from 1961-1963 and went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys.)

http://www.lostlettermen.com/football/SEC/Alabama/Don_McNeal/p128710/

#1 Penn State vs. #2 Alabama

Coach Joe Paterno vs. Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant

What is at stake: The National Championship Title (it could be Penn State’s 1st )

Late in the 4th quarter, Penn State intercepts a pass on

Bama’s 48 yard line and goes on to tie the score

Seconds later, Alabama scores and takes the lead (14 to 7)

January 1, 1979 – Sugar Bowl

“From the Crimson Tide's six-yard line on second and goal, Penn State’s Fusina found Fitzkee just before the goal line, but as he turned toward the end zone, Alabama's Don McNeal materialized, hammering Fitzkee backward and preventing

the touchdown.” Jordan Burchette, BCS Football.com.

Don McNeal is best known in Alabama football history for this play http://people.famouswhy.com/don_mcneal/#videos

“This game, at Alabama, is known as 'the Goal Line Stand game’,” Major Ogilvie , Alabama All SEC Running Back

http://espn.go.com/abcsports/bcs/sugar/s/1979.html

Bill “Brother” Oliver

Played for Alabama and helped coach the 1979 and 1992 defensive teams

“There never has been a team that loved to play more than that 1979 bunch. They loved to punish you from the first play to the last one. Nobody wanted any part of us. I guarantee you that.”

Gaddy, Kenneth. Twelve and Counting; the National Championships of Alabama Football. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2009.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.redelephants.com/images/1979a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.redelephants.com/redpee.html&h=426&w=800&sz=89&tbnid=g30WLQpVLGayYM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1979%2BAlabama%2BFootball%2Bphoto&zoom=1&usg=__5ScOC6fg1o54BUOPem0cP6Dd3OA=&sa=X&ei=h6d6TPejJpn_lQfn1sTFAQ&ved=0CB4Q9QEwAg

Miami Dolphins Stats: Height: 6'0" Weight: 192 lbs. Playing Position: Defensive Back College: University of Alabama

Career: Miami Dolphins 1980–1990

Honors: University of Alabama "Captain of the

Team", 1980 University of Alabama National

Champions of 1979 & 1980 University of Alabama "All-Centennial

Team" 1992 Played in Two Super Bowls, 1982 & 1984 Miami Dolphins, "Silver Anniversary

Team" 1996 http://sportsworld.org/pros/don_mcneal/

These are fantastic football

accomplishments; but what

about the rest of the story?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.danburrell.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/don.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.danburrell.com/%3Fm%3D20071127&h=300&w=230&sz=30&tbnid=Wzt_9vmrQ9mfvM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddon%2Bmcneal%2Bphotos&zoom=1&usg=__pENtPMhuT_3jeNbTtBCJ-yBaejk=&sa=X&ei=Q4t6TJjHCYyalgePmtWhAg&ved=0CBwQ9QEwAw

Where it all began…..Running water only in the kitchen sink

No indoor bathroom

Baths & Laundry were performed in a metal washtub

Laundry dried on the fence outside

Wood burning stove used for heat and cooking

McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power Publishing, 2006.

The FamilyDadMom Charles

“Truman”EuniceEulaHenry, Jr.MosesAlice JeanFloristeanLillie MaeDonCarol

“When we wore through the (shoe) soles, Dad would take tar paper made for roofing and cut it to fit the bottoms….It seemed sometimes like we had an inch of tar paper on the bottoms of our shoes, but it kept the water out” (McNeal, 2006)

McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power Publishing, 2006.

“Our farm grew almost all the food we needed. We purchased only wheat flour, salt, pepper, and a few other things from the grocer,

but of course we needed the cash Dad and Mom earned from their town jobs for clothing and other things.” (McNeal , 2006)

5 Acre farmNo EquipmentPlowed the fields

using Kate, our mule

Planted, hoed, and picked by hand

Crops - cucumbers, cotton, corn, sugar cane, tomatoes, greens, corn, beans, peas, okra, squash

McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power Publishing, 2006.

More to the farm, than working in the fields…

Smokehouse for curing ham and bacon

Henhouse for the chickens

Barn for Kate (our mule), a cow and the corncrib

Shed for the old GMC Truck

Pigs and hogs were fenced ¼ mile down the road

McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power Publishing, 2006

“My biggest dream was to graduate from high school and move to Detroit, Michigan, where I could work in the factory

near most of my brothers and sisters.” (McNeal, 2006)

Encouraged by his P.E. coach, Don joined the football team his junior and senior years in high school.

They won the state championship his junior year and had another winning season his senior year

Don was thrilled when Coach Bear Bryant invited him to attend the University of Alabama on a football scholarship.

During his four years there, they won 43 of 48 games including four bowl games. http://

www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-4152McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power

Publishing, 2006

During the next 10 years….1980 NFL Draft – 1st

Round, 21st Pick for the Miami Dolphins

Coached by legendary Don Shula

Played in 2 Super Bowls

Met and married his wife, Rhonda

His daughter, Jessica , was born

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/getty/2008/09000d5d808e87bb_gallery_600.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D250716&h=424&w=600&sz=69&tbnid=YlejaK_p8nedoM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddon%2Bmcneal%2Bmiami%2Bdolphins%2Bphoto&zoom=1&usg=__P-WYufGp7BBXFTdP-4YeZfbAG84=&sa=X&ei=P8B6TK2OEJn_lQfn1sTFAQ&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAw

“Looking back over my life, I realize my family was my first, most important team, and in many ways my dad was my toughest coach. We had to fear and respect him enough to follow his directions.” (McNeal, 2006)

McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power Publishing, 2006

Life after the NFL…Don McNeal elected to

stay in Miami as the counseling minister @ the New Testament Baptist Church. He has held this position for 19 years.

His bachelor’s degree is in social work and he has recently completed a master’s degree in psychology.

He collects pennies, baseball caps and plays golf.

He and his wife, Rhonda, have been married for 29 years

His daughter, Jessica, graduated from the University of Alabama in 2009.

http://www.thegatheringplacefl.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88&Itemid=71

McNeal, Don. Home Team Advantage. Indianapolis: Power Publishing, 2006 Gaddy, Kenneth. Twelve and Counting; the National Championships of

Alabama Football. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2009. http://www.lostlettermen.com/football/SEC/Alabama/Don_McNeal/p128710 http://espn.go.com/abcsports/bcs/sugar/s/1979.html http://people.famouswhy.com/don_mcneal/#videos http://sportsworld.org/pros/don_mcneal http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.danburrell.com/wp-

content/uploads/2007/11/don.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.danburrell.com/%3Fm%3D20071127&h=300&w=230&sz=30&tbnid=Wzt_9vmrQ9mfvM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddon%2Bmcneal%2Bphotos&zoom=1&usg=__pENtPMhuT_3jeNbTtBCJ-yBaejk=&sa=X&ei=Q4t6TJjHCYyalgePmtWhAg&ved=0CBwQ9QEwAw

http://www.thegatheringplacefl.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88&Itemid=71

These books are available for checkout from the Sanford Middle School media center.

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