Todd McNair
 McNair walking with the USC Trojans to a stadium before a game |
|
| Date of birth: | August 16, 1965 |
| Place of birth: | Camden, New Jersey |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Running Back |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| College: | Temple |
| NFL Draft: | 1989 / Round: 8 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1989-1993 1994-1995 1996 |
Kansas City Chiefs Houston Oilers Kansas City Chiefs |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Todd Darren McNair (born August 16, 1965) is a former professional football player and coach. McNair was the running backs coach and special teams coordinator for the USC Trojans football team, where he was also a recruiter. McNair has received publicity related to NCAA sanctions imposed on the USC football team for his alleged role in the ineligibility of Reggie Bush. In 2007, it was revealed that McNair had twice been convicted of animal cruelty.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Early years
McNair was born in Camden, New Jersey, to Todd McNair, Sr. and Carolyn McNair. He played high school football at Pennsauken High School and was a 1988 graduate of Temple University where he played football.
McNair is the uncle of current Pittsburgh Steelers running back Isaac Redman. Younger brother Scott McNair was also a running back at Temple.
[edit] Professional football career
McNair played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Oilers. During his career he filled a variety of roles, including acting as lead blocker, special teams, and third-down back.[2] By the end of his career, he ran for 803 yards with 3 touchdowns, caught 252 passes with 7 touchdowns and averaged 18.6 yards on kickoff returns, retiring as the Chiefs' 10th all-time receiver.
[edit] Coaching career
McNair retired from professional football in 1996 and began coaching at Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey. McNair was the running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2001 to 2003, and joined USC in 2004. In his first season he served as Running Backs Coach, and took on the additional position of Special Teams Coordinator in 2005. McNair is also considered one of the most effective recruiters in college football.[2] He was named one of the nation's top-25 recruiters by Rivals.com.[3]
McNair's contract at USC expired June 30, 2010 and was not renewed after 6 years.[4] He played a key part in the NCAA's investigation of the school's athletic department dealing with former Trojans running back Reggie Bush.
The 2004 and 2005 USC Trojans football teams have had wins vacated and a BCS National Championship stripped following NCAA rulings that running back Reggie Bush was ineligible due to improper benefits. These sanctions have been criticized by some NCAA football writers,[5][6][7][8][9] including ESPN’s Ted Miller, who wrote, “It's become an accepted fact among informed college football observers that the NCAA sanctions against USC were a travesty of justice, and the NCAA’s refusal to revisit that travesty are a massive act of cowardice on the part of the organization.”[10]
The NCAA ruled that McNair had engaged in unethical conduct,[11] claiming that McNair had known about some of Bush's improperly received benefits,[12] and sanctioned him with a show-cause penalty, prohibiting his interactions with football recruits for one year.[11] Following a failed appeal of his sanctions,[11] McNair announced an intent to sue the NCAA, accusing the body of libel, slander and misconduct.[12]
[edit] Animal cruelty charges
McNair was twice convicted on charges related to mistreatment of dogs. In July 1993, McNair was convicted of animal neglect, fined $500 and put on probation.[13] In October 1996, McNair was convicted on 17 counts of animal cruelty and failure to license dogs[1] and ordered to pay nearly $25,000 in fines and perform eight hours of community service.[13] Case investigators alleged that McNair was involved in dog fighting with pit bulls, but the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence for a conviction on those charges.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "McNair says his case differed from Vick's", Lance Pugmire and Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, August 30, 2007
- ^ a b Matt Hayes, When McNair makes pitch, USC gets catch, Sporting News, June 7, 2007.
- ^ Jeremy Crabtree, Rivals.com Top-25 Recruiters, Rivals.com, February 12, 2007.
- ^ Gary Klein, USC parts ways with running backs coach Todd McNair, Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2010
- ^ Jay Bilas, "Anyone know what NCAA's standards are?", ESPN.com, July 1, 2010.
- ^ Bryant Gumbel, "Student/Athlete Behavior", Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, September 21, 2010.
- ^ Bryan Fischer, " Trojans never stood a chance after taking NCAA's best shot", CBSSports.com, May 26, 2011.
- ^ Pete Fiutak, "USC paying for NCAA's inconsistency?", FoxSports.com, May 26, 2011.
- ^ Stewart Mandel, "What USC's sanctions mean for Ohio State", SportsIllustrated.com, April 27, 2011.
- ^ http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/31040/what-we-learned-in-the-pac-12-week-14
- ^ a b c "NCAA appeals committee upholds sanctions against former USC running backs coach Todd McNair", Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2011
- ^ a b "Former USC assistant Todd McNair sues NCAA over Reggie Bush case", Sports Illustrated, June 6, 2011
- ^ a b Gary Klein, USC coach was convicted of cruelty to dogs, Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2007.
