Fred McNeill: Difference between revisions

Sacks:	15.0
Fumble recoveries:	16
Interceptions:	7

Fred McNeill
No. 54
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	May 6, 1952; Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Died:	November 3, 2015 (aged 63); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:	Baldwin Park (CA)
College:	UCLA
NFL draft:	1974 / round: 1 / pick: 17
Career history
	Minnesota Vikings (1974–1985);
Career highlights and awards
	First-team All-Pac-8 (1973);
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:
Sacks:	15.0
Fumble recoveries:	16
Interceptions:	7
	Player stats at PFR

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Latest revision as of 17:04, 30 July 2024

Frederick Arnold McNeill (May 6, 1952 – November 3, 2015) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons from 1974 to 1985. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. In 1973, he was named to the All-Coast/Conference First-team.^[1] McNeil was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 1974 NFL draft with the 17th overall selection. He was the first person to have been diagnosed with CTE while alive and have it confirmed following his death.

Professional career

He played on defenses that led the NFC in fewest points allowed in 1976 and the NFL in fewest total yards allowed in 1975 and fewest passing yards allowed in 1976.

McNeill appeared in 2 Super Bowls with the Vikings, Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl XI. McNeill blocked a punt in Super Bowl XI.

Later years

During his last campaign with the Vikings, he began his studies at the William Mitchell College of Law, where he graduated at the top of his class. He eventually became a partner with a Minneapolis, Minnesota, area law firm following his NFL career.^[2]

McNeill was voted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.^[3]

In his later years he was diagnosed with dementia, and was formally diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 2009.^[4] In March 2014 he received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease). He died of ALS on November 3, 2015, at the age of 63.^[5] Following his death Doctor Bennet Omalu conducted an autopsy on McNeil and confirmed the CTE diagnosis.^[2] He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with CTE, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.^[6]^[7]

Personal life

McNeill was married to Tia McNeill and they had two sons, Fred Jr. and Gavin. McNeill was the unnamed individual in a study published online in the journal Neurosurgery, where evidence of CTE was observed during scans while he was still alive and confirmed during an autopsy following his death. These results may help in detecting CTE in living individuals and help to improve understanding and treatment.

References

^ 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975
^ ^a ^b Kounang, Nadia (February 4, 2016), "CTE in the NFL: The tragedy of Fred McNeill", Cable News Network, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., retrieved February 4, 2016
^ UCLA Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Class, UCLABruins.com, May 4, 2012
^ Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "The People V. Football," GQ (magazine), March 2011.
^ "Ex-Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill dies at 63". November 4, 2015.
^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.

External links

[1] 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975

[CNN-2] Kounang, Nadia (February 4, 2016), "CTE in the NFL: The tragedy of Fred McNeill", Cable News Network, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., retrieved February 4, 2016

[3] UCLA Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Class, UCLABruins.com, May 4, 2012

[jmlaskasgq-4] Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "The People V. Football," GQ (magazine), March 2011.

[5] "Ex-Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill dies at 63". November 4, 2015.

[6] "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.

[7] Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|American football player (1952–2015)}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
 {{Use American English|date=July 2019}}
 {{Infobox NFL biography
-|image =
+| image       =
-|position=[[Linebacker]]
+| position    = [[Linebacker]]
-|number=54
+| number      = 54
-|birth_date={{Birth date|1952|5|6}}
+| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1952|5|6}}
-|birth_place= [[Durham, North Carolina]], U.S.
+| birth_place = [[Durham, North Carolina]], U.S.
-|death_date={{Death date and age|2015|11|3|1952|5|6}}
+| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2015|11|3|1952|5|6}}
-|death_place=[[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
+| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
-|height_ft=6
+| height_ft   = 6
-|height_in=2
+| height_in   = 2
-|weight_lbs=230
+| weight_lbs  = 230
-|high_school=[[Baldwin Park High School|Baldwin Park (CA)]]
+| high_school = [[Baldwin Park High School|Baldwin Park (CA)]]
-|college=[[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]]
+| college     = [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]]
-|draftyear=1974
+| draftyear   = 1974
-|draftround=1
+| draftround  = 1
-|draftpick=17
+| draftpick   = 17
-|pastteams=
+| pastteams   =
 * [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|1974}}–{{NFL Year|1985}})
+| highlights  =
-|statlabel1=[[Quarterback sack|Sacks]]
+* First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-8]] ([[1973 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team|1973]])
-|statvalue1=15.0
+| statlabel1  = [[Quarterback sack|Sacks]]
-|statlabel2=[[Fumble|Fumble recoveries]]
+| statvalue1  = 15.0
-|statvalue2=16
+| statlabel2  = [[Fumble|Fumble recoveries]]
-|statlabel3=[[Interception|Interceptions]]
+| statvalue2  = 16
-|statvalue3=7
+| statlabel3  = [[Interception]]s
-|nfl=2520919
+| statvalue3  = 7
-|pfr=M/McNeFr21
+| pfr         = M/McNeFr21
 }}
-'''Frederick Arnold McNeill''' (May 6, 1952 – November 3, 2015) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[linebacker]] for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 12 seasons from 1974 to 1985. He played [[college football]] for the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]]. In 1973, he was named to the All-Coast/Conference First-team.<ref>1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975</ref> McNeil was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the [[1974 NFL Draft]] with the 17th overall selection. He was the first person to have been diagnosed with [[Chronic traumatic encephalopathy|CTE]] while alive and have it confirmed following his death.
+'''Frederick Arnold McNeill''' (May 6, 1952 – November 3, 2015) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[linebacker]] for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 12 seasons from 1974 to 1985. He played [[college football]] for the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]]. In 1973, he was named to the All-Coast/Conference First-team.<ref>1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975</ref> McNeil was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the [[1974 NFL draft]] with the 17th overall selection. He was the first person to have been diagnosed with [[Chronic traumatic encephalopathy|CTE]] while alive and have it confirmed following his death.
 ==Professional career==
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
 McNeill was voted into the [[UCLA Bruins#UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame|UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame]] in 2012.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120919083653/http://www.uclabruins.com/genrel/050412aaa.html UCLA Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Class], UCLABruins.com, May 4, 2012</ref>
-In his later years he was diagnosed with dementia, and was  formally diagnosed with  [[chronic traumatic encephalopathy|chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)]] in 2009.<ref name="jmlaskasgq">[https://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201102/jeanne-marie-laskas-nfl-concussions-fred-mcneill Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "The People V. Football," ''GQ'' (magazine), March 2011.]</ref> In March 2014 he received a diagnosis of [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (Lou Gehrig's Disease). He died of ALS on November 3, 2015, at the age of 63.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_29068312/ex-vikings-linebacker-fred-mcneil-dies-at-63|title = Ex-Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill dies at 63|date = 4 November 2015}}</ref>  Following his death Doctor [[Bennet Omalu]] conducted an autopsy on McNeil and confirmed the CTE diagnosis.<ref name="CNN" /> He is one of at least 345 [[List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy|NFL players to be diagnosed after death with CTE]], which is caused by repeated hits to the head.<ref>{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) | website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts | access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E.  The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= [[The New York Times]] |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}</ref>
+In his later years he was diagnosed with dementia, and was  formally diagnosed with  [[chronic traumatic encephalopathy|chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)]] in 2009.<ref name="jmlaskasgq">[https://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201102/jeanne-marie-laskas-nfl-concussions-fred-mcneill Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "The People V. Football," ''GQ'' (magazine), March 2011.]</ref> In March 2014 he received a diagnosis of [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (Lou Gehrig's Disease). He died of ALS on November 3, 2015, at the age of 63.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_29068312/ex-vikings-linebacker-fred-mcneil-dies-at-63|title = Ex-Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill dies at 63|date = 4 November 2015}}</ref>  Following his death Doctor [[Bennet Omalu]] conducted an autopsy on McNeil and confirmed the CTE diagnosis.<ref name="CNN" /> He is one of at least 345 [[List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy|NFL players to be diagnosed after death with CTE]], which is caused by repeated hits to the head.<ref>{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) |website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E.  The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= [[The New York Times]] |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}</ref>
 ==Personal life==
@@ Line 63: / Line 65: @@
 [[Category:1952 births]]
 [[Category:2015 deaths]]
-[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in California]]
+[[Category:Deaths from motor neuron disease in California]]
-[[Category:Deaths from motor neuron disease in the United States]]
 [[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
 [[Category:Players of American football with chronic traumatic encephalopathy]]
+[[Category:Baldwin Park High School alumni]]