Shaun Terrance McDonald (born June 30, 1981) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
wide receiver. He was drafted by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
in the fourth round of the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. T ...
. He played
college football at
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
.
McDonald has also played for the
Detroit Lions and
Pittsburgh Steelers.
Early years
McDonald is a 1999 graduate of
Shadow Mountain High School
Shadow Mountain High School is a public high school located in the north valley of Phoenix, Arizona. The school is part of the Paradise Valley Unified School District. The school's athletic teams are known as the Matadors. Shadow Mountain's sch ...
in Phoenix and was a 1999 Honorable Mention All-America by USA Today. He also earned All-state honors as a kick return specialist and all-conference as a wide receiver and kick specialist as a junior. He was a three-year starter and had five kickoff returns for touchdowns as a senior before missing one-third of his senior season with a broken fibula. As a senior, he had 800 yards receiving (30 yard average), 1,700 all-purpose yards, added seven kick returns for touchdown, and averaged 46 yards per kick return. As a junior, he returned four kickoffs of 90 yards or longer for touchdowns. He still holds the state record for most kickoff returns for touchdowns with 14. He lettered three times in football and four times each in soccer and track and field. McDonald also scored a goal and assisted on another in winning the state championship in soccer.
College career
McDonald played his college football at Arizona State University. McDonald will go down as one of the most prolific pass catchers in Arizona State history. He came to Arizona State in 2000 after a standout prep career in Phoenix. McDonald broke out in 2001 after a quiet freshman season, catching 47 passes for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him All Pac-10 honors.
McDonald followed up his impressive 2001 with an even better 2002, when he caught caught 87 passes for 1,405 yards and 13 touchdowns. McDonald ranked 6th nationally in receiving yards in 2002 and he was tied for third nationally in receiving touchdowns.
McDonald was a Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) finalist in 2002 and a third-team All-American selection in his junior season. He currently holds Sun Devil single-season records in receptions and receiving yards. McDonald declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season.
Professional career
Pre-draft
McDonald measured 5'9" and 174 pounds and ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at his ASU pro day.
St Louis Rams
The St Louis Rams made McDonald the 106th pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. At the end of the 2006 season, McDonald finished his career with the Rams with 106 catches for 1,215 yards and four touchdowns.
Detroit Lions
In the 2007 offseason, McDonald left the Rams and joined former Rams offensive coordinator
Mike Martz
Michael Martz (born May 13, 1951) is an American football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf offe ...
with the
Detroit Lions. That season, McDonald led the Lions in catches with 79, 943 yards, and touchdowns with six.
In 2008, McDonald started seven of the 12 games in which he played and caught 35 passes for 332 yards and a touchdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers
McDonald was signed by the
Pittsburgh Steelers on May 1, 2009.
NFL career statistics
Personal life
McDonald has two cousins in professional sports - former
NBA point guard Mike Bibby
Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
and professional soccer player
Robbie Findley
Robert Findley (born August 4, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He was capped 11 times by the United States national team, having made his international debut in 2007.
Findley played college soc ...
. He is also related through marriage to
Eddie House
Edward Lee House II (born May 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard known for his three-point shooting, House played for nine NBA teams in 11 seasons in the league. He was a member of the Boston Celtics team that ...
who most recently played for the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
.
External links
Detroit Lions bioPittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Shaun
1981 births
Living people
Players of American football from Phoenix, Arizona
American football wide receivers
American football return specialists
Arizona State Sun Devils football players
St. Louis Rams players
Detroit Lions players
Pittsburgh Steelers players