Kevin Mack

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For other uses, see Kevin Mack (disambiguation).

Kevin Mack
Kevin Mack.jpg
No. 34
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1962-08-09) August 9, 1962 (age 59)
Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Career information
High school:Kings Mountain (NC)
College:Clemson
Supplemental draft:1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • AFC Rookie of the Year (1985)
  • 2× Pro Bowl (1985, 1987)
  • Cleveland Browns Legends
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:5,123
Average:4.0
Touchdowns:46
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

James Kevin Mack (born August 9, 1962) is a former professional American football player who played fullback.

Early life[]

Mack was born in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.[1][2][3] He began playing football as a youth in Pop Warner football games, but he was more focused as a teenager in track competitions.[4] He was a star athlete at Kings Mountain High School.[1]

Mack attended Clemson University for four years where he played football for its team, helping them reach the national championship in 1981.[1] He averaged over five yards per carry his senior year at Clemson,[5] running 886 yards and scoring 8 touchdowns.[3]

Professional athletic career[]

Mack was selected by the Washington Federals in the 1984 USFL Territorial Draft. He was traded to the Los Angeles Express, where he played the 1984 USFL season.[5]

He was also selected by the Cleveland Browns 11th overall in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL Players. He joined the Browns to play the 1985 NFL season.[3] As a rookie, he rushed for 1,104 yards and 7 touchdowns and was the AFC Rookie of the year.[6]

Mack played for the Browns for nine seasons,[2] from 1985 to 1993. In 1985, Mack rushed for 1,105 yards and halfback Earnest Byner rushed for 1,001 yards, becoming just the third pair of teammates to run for over 1,000 yards for the same team in the same season.[7] Nicknamed "Mack Truck", he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 1985 and 1987.[2][1]

After athletic career[]

After playing in the NFL, Mack relocated to Houston, Texas, where among other work he was a coach, including at Texas Southern University.[4][8]

Since returning to Cleveland, Ohio, Mack has worked for the Cleveland Browns in its Alumni Relations Department.[1][4] He had originally expected to become a talent scout for the team,[8] initially being named the team's Assistant Director of Player Programs when coming back to the organization in 2007.[9]

Awards and recognition[]

  • 1981: Honorable Mention All-American[1]
  • 1981: MVP, Blue-Gray All-Star Game[1]
  • 1985: AFC Rookie of the Year
  • 2000: Kings Mountain's Football Player of the 20th Century (designated by Kings Mountain Herald)[1]
  • 2012: 58th Greatest football player in the history of the NFL's Cleveland Browns (designated by Cleveland.com)[1]
  • 2012: Kings Mountain's Player of the Decade of the 1970s[1]
  • 2016: Lifetime Achievement Award (National Football Foundation and Cleveland Touchdown Club Charities)
  • 2016: Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame[1]
  • 2017: Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame[10]

Personal life[]

Mack has mentioned having two daughters who were young when he resided in Houston; he lived there for about 14 years.[8]

In 1989 in Cuyahoga County Court in Cleveland, Mack pleaded guilty to cocaine use in exchange for three other charges (cocaine trafficking, possession of criminal tools, and using a motor vehicle for drug abuse)[11] being dropped.[12] He was sentenced to six months in jail.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Stewart, Gary (December 12, 2012). "KM's Kevin Mack #58 on Browns' all-time top 100 great players list". Kings Mountain Herald. Retrieved February 21, 2020 – via KMHerald.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Kevin Mack". clevelandsportshall.com. Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Dias, Roberto (February 1, 1985). "The Cleveland Browns have signed running back Kevin Mack..." UPI.com. Cleveland. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Mack, Kevin (September 17, 2019). Kevin Mack Discusses 80's NFL, Continuing Work for Cleveland & More (video). Browns Club 46. Interviewed by Jay Crawford. Cleveland Browns. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2020 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b Wright, Branson (January 17, 2013). "Former Cleveland Browns RB Kevin Mack has fond memories of his start in USFL". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "Kevin Mack". NFL.com. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Browns' 1,000-Yard Backs: Mack and Byner". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Mack, Kevin (December 1, 2019). "Steelers Rivals: Interview with Former Cleveland Browns FB Kevin Mack". SteelersNow.com. Interviewed by Ron Lippock. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  9. ^ "Transactions - Sports". Columbus Dispatch. March 21, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  10. ^ Ford, Alan (May 4, 2017). "Mack dodged tacklers all the way to Hall of Fame". Shelby Star. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Browns' Mack Sentenced to Six Months in Prison". Washington Post. October 3, 1989. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  12. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: FOOTBALL; Mack Pleads Guilty To Using Cocaine". The New York Times. August 31, 1989. Retrieved December 29, 2008.

External links[]

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