Early years
McDuffie was born in Marion, Ohio. He attended Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio, excelling in High school football, football, basketball, track and field and baseball. He set Hawken's record for all-purpose yards with 7,302 in his high school career. In 1986, McDuffie returned an interception 108 yards, an unofficial Ohio state record. During his senior year in 1987, he was named the A-AA Ohio Player of the year. For the 1987 high school football season, he scored 136 points (21 touchdowns) ahead of future professional football players Desmond Howard and Robert Smith (running back), Robert Smith.News-herald.comCollege career
McDuffie attended Pennsylvania State University, and played for coach Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions football team. He wore the number 24 for the Nittany Lions. He set several single-season and career receiving records, as well as all-purpose yards records. His performance in Penn State's 1992 Fiesta Bowl victory over Tennessee Volunteers football, Tennessee on January 1, 1992 garnered him the game's offensive MVP. McDuffie also played one season of varsity baseball in 1990 while at Penn State. He still holds the PSU record for stolen bases in a single game with 4, and is in the top 10 for stolen bases in a single season.2013 Penn State Baseball YearbookProfessional career
The Miami Dolphins selected McDuffie in the first round (25th pick overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft. He Punt returner, returned punts and was a reserve wide receiver before earning the Starting lineup, starting spot for the Dolphins. During his formative years with the Dolphins, McDuffie became known as Dan Marino, Dan Marino's favorite receiver. His 415 career catches are fourth all-time in Dolphins history. In 1998, McDuffie caught 90 passes, leading the National Football League, NFL in that category. He was the first Dolphin to achieve this mark (since achieved by Jarvis Landry in 2017). That same year, McDuffie became the first player in NFL history to record at least 90 receptions and 10 punt returns in a season without a fumble. Antonio Brown of Pittsburgh in 2016 is the only player to do it since. With the exception of Mark Clayton (American football, born 1961), Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, McDuffie caught more passes thrown by Marino than any other Dolphin receiver. He played his entire career in Miami, retiring in 2000 because of a nagging toe injury. Nearly ten years later, McDuffie would win a Medical malpractice, Medical malpractice lawsuit related to that career-ending toe injury. On May 5, 2010, Miami-Dade County, Florida jurors ordered a former Dolphins team physician, Dr. John Uribe, to pay McDuffie $11.5 million in damages. The lawsuit alleged Uribe told McDuffie he was safe to continue playing football, despite Magnetic resonance imaging, MRIs showing damage to the tendons in his toe. On September 30, 2010, Judge Michael Genden of Miami-Dade County tossed out that verdict due to the improper use of a medical manual as evidence. The judge also ordered a new trial. A second trial resulted in a verdict for Dr. Uribe. On appeal by McDuffie, the Third District Court affirmed the judgment for Dr. Uribe.NFL career statistics
Life after football
McDuffie hosts a weekly podcastReferences
External links