Lester McClain

Lester McClain (born September 17, 1949[1]) is a former American football wide receiver and the first African American to play at the University of Tennessee.[2][3] He joined the Volunteers in 1967, and played for them between 1968 and 1970 (freshmen were ineligible to play varsity prior to the 1970s).[4] He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 9th round (220th overall) of the 1971 NFL draft, but was cut prior to the season.[5] He attended Antioch High School in Antioch, Tennessee.[6]

During his three seasons at Tennessee, he caught 70 passes for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed 30 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and returned eight kickoffs for 168 yards.[7]

  1. ^ "1971 Chicago Bears Draft". Football Database. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Manning, G.; Harris, H. (2006). Once a Vol, Always a Vol!: The Proud Men of the Volunteer Nation. Sports Pub. ISBN 978-1-59670-014-7. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Lester McClain College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  4. ^ "Vols Jersey Countdown #85". University of Tennessee Athletics. June 7, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "1971 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  6. ^ West, M. (2002). Tales of the Tennessee Vols. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-516-5. Retrieved May 15, 2015 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Tennessee Career Football Statistics – M". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.