Frederick Arnold McNeill (May 6, 1952 – November 3, 2015) was an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who was a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for 12 seasons from 1974-1985. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
. In 1973, he was named to the All-Coast/Conference First-team. McNeil was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the
1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks.
Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...
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 Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
s with the Vikings,
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) cha ...
and
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
. McNeill blocked a punt in
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
.
Later years
During his last campaign with the Vikings, he began his studies at the
William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...
, where he graduated at the top of his class. He eventually became a partner with a
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
area law firm following his NFL career.
McNeill was voted into the
UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
in 2012.
In his later years he was diagnosed with dementia, and was formally diagnosed with
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 2009.
[Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "The People V. Football," ''GQ'' (magazine), March 2011.](_blank)
/ref> In March 2014 he received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
(Lou Gehrig's Disease). He died of ALS on November 3, 2015 at the age of 63. Following his death Doctor Bennet Omalu
Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu (born September 30, 1968["About Bennet Omalu"](_blank)
, B ...
conducted an autopsy on McNeil and confirmed the CTE diagnosis.
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
External links
Sportspeople from Durham, North Carolina
American football linebackers
UCLA Bruins football players
Minnesota Vikings players
1952 births
2015 deaths
Neurological disease deaths in California
Deaths from motor neuron disease
20th-century American lawyers
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