Dewey Loren McClain (born April 25, 1954) is an American former

professional football In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

player, labor leader, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, McClain serves in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005 ...

, representing the 100th district. McClain played for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

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 majo ...

from 1976 through 1980. He returned to football, playing in the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

for the

Oakland Invaders The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California, they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The team can tra ...

in 1983 and the Oklahoma Outlaws in 1984. After he retired from football, he became a labor leader, serving in the

National Football League Players Association The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director De ...

and as president of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council. He was elected to the Georgia House in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held on November 5, 2013.

American football career

McClain is from Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and attended Okmulgee High School. He then enrolled East Central State University, where 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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

for the

East Central Tigers The East Central Tigers (also ECU Tigers) are the athletic teams that represent East Central University, located in Ada, Oklahoma, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Tigers compete as members of the Great American Conference for all ...

. He graduated in 1976 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in history, with minor concentrations in psychology, sociology, government, and physical education. He signed with the

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

,Herald-Journal – Google News Archive Search
/ref> and played for Atlanta as 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, ...

from 1976 through 1980. Before the 1981 season, the Falcons traded McClain to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

with Frank Reed for Steve Luke and a draft pick, but he became injured in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

and did not play for the Packers. After sitting out a year, McClain returned to football, playing for the

of the

in 1983. When he discovered that

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

was receiving a USFL expansion franchise in 1984, the Oklahoma Outlaws, McClain asked to be made available in the expansion draft so that he could play for them, insisting that he would otherwise retire. He exposed in the expansion draft, but selected by the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

. He held out, refusing to report to Memphis. When

opened and McClain did not report, the Showboats agreed to trade McClain to Oklahoma for the rights to

Horace Ivory Horace Orlando Ivory (born August 8, 1954) is a former American football running back in the NFL from 1977 through 1982. He attended Nolan Catholic High School Nolan Catholic High School is a private, coeducational, college preparatory school, f ...

. He played for the Outlaws in 1984, before retiring. McClain was a founding member and president of the

Metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and th ...

chapter of the

(NFLPA). He served as a member of the National Former Players Board of Directors of the NFLPA.

Government career

After he retired from football, McClain went to work for the city of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. He worked in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for 18 years, and for the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency for four years. In 2013, McClain became the president of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, an affiliate of the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

. McClain ran in a

for the

, to serve the 100th district, which took place on November 5, 2013. He was the only candidate on the ballot, and won the race uncontested. He was sworn into office on December 5.Your daily jolt: 38 percent of state lawmakers are ALEC members , Political Insider , www.ajc.com
/ref>

Personal life

McClain lives in Lilburn, Georgia. He met his wife, Linda (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Evans), in high school. The couple have two daughters.

References

External links

*
Biography
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McClain, Dewey Living people 1954 births Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Atlanta Falcons players Players of American football from Gwinnett County, Georgia American football linebackers Oakland Invaders players Oklahoma Outlaws players East Central Tigers football players East Central University alumni People from Okmulgee, Oklahoma People from Lilburn, Georgia Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives American trade union leaders 21st-century American politicians