Le'Ron De'Mar McClain (born December 27, 1984) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

, and was selected by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

137th overall in the fourth round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

Early life and college

McClain was born in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

. He played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Tuscaloosa County High School for the Wildcats. He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, where he played for coach Mike Shula's

Alabama Crimson Tide football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the Nat ...

team from 2003 to 2006.

Professional career

Pre-draft

McClain was considered one of the best fullbacks available in the

, and drew comparisons to William Henderson.

Baltimore Ravens

McClain was selected with the 137th pick during the fourth round by the

. McClain signed with the Ravens on July 27, 2007. He scored his first career

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

on a Kyle Boller pass against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

on November 25, 2007. He finished his rookie season with eight carries for 18 yards, nine receptions for 55 yards, and 1 touchdown. Ravens vs Steelers 2008 MNF

During the 2008 season, McClain became the team's primary running-back as he rushed for a team-high 902 yards and 10 touchdowns on 232 carries (3.9 yards per carry). He also caught 19 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. On December 20, 2008, McClain ran for 82 yards to score the final touchdown in

Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was an American football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb west of Dallas. Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof. Th ...

against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. Along with teammate Willis McGahee's 77-yard touchdown run on the previous Ravens drive, he and McGahee became the first players ever to run two 70+ touchdown runs on back-to-back drives. The run was also the longest run by an opponent in

. In addition, McClain had 139 rushing yards on the day. McClain's performance earned him a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

selection, in which he scored a touchdown off of a Fumblerooski play handed off by former

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

. Cutler put the ball between McClain's legs in which he ran in for a touchdown. During his last two years as a Raven, McClain lost carries to Willis McGahee and

Ray Rice Raymell Mourice Rice (born January 22, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers ...

. He publicly complained about not getting enough touches, which led to his departure from the Ravens.

Kansas City Chiefs

McClain signed a one-year deal with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on August 3, 2011, after the

signed fullback

Vonta Leach Terzell Vonta Leach ( ; born November 6, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2 ...

San Diego Chargers

McClain signed a three-year deal with the

on March 14, 2012. On March 3, 2014, McClain was released by the Chargers.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

His cousin, Rolando McClain, is a linebacker who last played for the

. On November 5, 2014, he was arrested on felony charges of trafficking in

synthetic marijuana Synthetic cannabinoids, or neocannabinoids, are a class of designer drug molecules that bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids ( THC, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. These novel psychoactive substances should not be co ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McClain, LeRon 1984 births Living people Players of American football from Tuscaloosa, Alabama American Conference Pro Bowl players American football fullbacks Alabama Crimson Tide football players Baltimore Ravens players Kansas City Chiefs players San Diego Chargers players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen