Tristan Akeen “T. A.” McLendon (born February 21, 1983) is an

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 with ...

player. Alongside Ken Hall and Brett Law, McLendon is one of the most productive high school football players of all time. In four seasons at Albemarle High School in

Albemarle, North Carolina Albemarle () is a small city and the county seat of Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,903 in the 2010 Census. Gerald R. "Ronnie" Michael (a former police chief in the city) serves as Mayor and Albemarle has a se ...

, McLendon rushed a total 9,004 yards and a national best 178 total touchdowns (170 rushing) over his career. In his final game, he rushed for 289 yards and a state-record seven touchdowns in leading Albemarle to the Class 1A state championship. He played in the 2002

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

. McLendon continued his football career at North Carolina State, immediately becoming the focal point of the Wolfpack's offense as a freshman in 2002, earning

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

Rookie of the Year honors. He led the team with 1,101 yards on 245 carries (4.5 avg.), setting school single-season records with 18 touchdowns (tied ACC season mark for freshmen) and 108 points scored, adding 354 yards on 42 receptions (8.4 avg.), despite being hampered by two shoulder separations and a right wrist fracture. McLendon appeared in only nine games in 2003, but still led the team in rushing with 130 attempts for 608 yards and nine scores. The injury bug would plague McLendon throughout the 2004 season. He strained his hamstring in fall camp, missing the season opener vs. Richmond. McLendon re-injured the hamstring midway through the season vs. Maryland and it limited his performance the rest of the year. He still managed to lead the team in rushing for the third straight year, gaining 770 yards on 167 carries (4.6 avg.) with six touchdowns. McLendon entered the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

as a junior, but went undrafted. McLendon tried out for several NFL teams but was unable to land a contract. On September 10, 2007, McLendon was arrested in his hometown of Albemarle for getting caught with drugs (

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

) following a routine traffic stop. McLendon was charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to sell and deliver drugs, driving with license revoked and maintaining a vehicle to keep a controlled substance. McLendon's bail was set at $5,000 and he was scheduled to appear in court on October 8, 2007. On November 20, 2008, he was sentenced to 24 months probation in Stanly County, North Carolina.Arrest Record
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLendon, T. A. 1983 births Living people American football running backs NC State Wolfpack football players People from Albemarle, North Carolina