Fullback, Dallas
Texans
Age: 23
College: Kansas
Height: 6’3” Weight: 232
Prelude:
A three-time
All-Big 8 selection who rushed for 1377 yards in college, McClinton was taken
by the Texans in the 14th round of the 1961 AFL draft (he was
drafted in the 10th round by the NFL Rams) and moved into the
starting lineup when veteran FB Jack Spikes was injured. He proved to not only
be a good runner, but a fine receiver out of the backfield and blocker.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in all
14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 111
[10]
Most
attempts, game - 19 (for 102 yds.) at NY Titans 11/11
Yards – 604 [5]
Most yards,
game – 109 yards (on 12 carries) vs. Oakland 11/25
Average gain
– 5.4 [2]
TDs – 2 [18,
tied with nine others]
100-yard
rushing games – 3
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 29
Most
receptions, game – 6 (for 68 yds.) vs. San Diego 12/16
Yards – 333
Most yards,
game - 68 (on 6 catches) vs. San Diego 12/16
Average gain
– 11.5
TDs – 0
Kickoff Returns
Returns – 2
Yards – 32
Average per
return – 16.0
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 18 yards
Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12
Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship at Houston)
Rushing
attempts – 24
Rushing yards
– 70
Average gain
rushing – 2.9
Rushing TDs –
0
Pass
receptions – 1
Pass
receiving yards - 4
Average yards
per reception – 4.0
Pass
Receiving TDs - 0
Awards & Honors:
AFL Rookie of
the Year: UPI
2nd
team All-AFL: UPI
AFL All-Star
Game
Texans went 11-3
to finish first in the AFL Western Division while leading league in scoring
(389 points) and touchdowns (50, tied with Houston Oilers). Won AFL
Championship over Houston Oilers (20-17).
Aftermath:
The franchise
shifted to Kansas City in 1963, and while the team had a down year on the
field, “The Count” had another solid season as he led the club in rushing with
568 yards. He struggled with injuries in ’64, however, and lost his starting
job to rookie Mack Lee Hill, but bounced back in 1965 with a career-high 661
yards rushing and another 590 yards on 37 pass receptions. He received
second-team All-AFL honors from the Associated Press. McClinton was an AFL
All-Star in 1966 and ’67, even as his rushing yards dropped to 540 and 392,
respectively, but as he also became more acclaimed for his blocking ability. Following
an injury-plagued 1968 season, he was shifted to tight end, where he saw little
action as a reserve in his last year. Overall, McClinton rushed for 3124 yards
on 762 carries (4.1 avg.) and caught 154 passes for 1945 yards with a total of
32 TDs. He played in three AFL All-Star Games.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association,
United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL
Rookie of the Year).
