Pat McInally
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| Pat McInally | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 7, 1953 |
| Place of birth | Villa Park, California |
| Position(s) | P/WR |
| College | Harvard |
| NFL Draft | 1975 / Round 5/ Pick 120 |
| Pro Bowls | 1981 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1975-1985 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Patrick John "Pat" McInally (born May 7, 1953 in Villa Park, California), is a former punter and wide receiver for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1976 to 1985. He attended Harvard University and was drafted in the 5th round of the 1975 NFL draft. He wore uniform #87. Due to a broken leg he suffered in the College All-Star Game at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers (who are still the Bengals' division rivals), McInally missed his entire rookie year. This injury, coupled with a decrease in popularity, led to the cancellation of the game after the 1976 event.
Paul Brown's practice of drafting intelligent players was, arguably, exemplified by the selection of Pat McInally, who scored the only verified perfect score on the Wonderlic Test, an intelligence test which was developed in the early 1970's that is given to prospective players by the NFL to judge their aptitude for adapting to certain situations.
According to McInally, "it really did seem like an easy test at the time. One of the reasons I did so well is because I didn't think it mattered. So I think I didn't feel any pressure at all. It was more of a lark, and that's when you do your best. If I took it 100 times I'd probably never do that again." [1]
McInally claims it hurt rather than enhanced his position in the draft because "coaches and front-office guys don't like extremes one way or the other, but particularly not on the high side. I think they think guys who are intelligent will challenge authority too much." [2] In 2005, a draft commentary on NFL.com stated that another Harvard player, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (who was ultimately selected by the St. Louis Rams in the 7th round of that year's draft), had equalled McInally's accomplishment in approximately nine minutes. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Fitzpatrick's actual score was 38 (still considered excellent), but that the figure of nine minutes is accurate.
McInally served as the Bengals punter from 1976 to 1985, and also saw some playing time as a receiver on offense. He led the league in net yards per punt in 1977(36.4) and in punting average in 1978 (43.1) and 1981 (45.4). He also has the distinction of being the first Harvard graduate ever to play in a pro bowl and a Super Bowl, both of which he did in the 1981 season.
Due to suffering a series of concussions, the 6'-6", 210 pound McInally, who led the nation in receiving as a collegian in 1973, punted exclusively in the latter stage of his professional career. He finished his career with 700 punts for 29,307 yards, an average of 41.9 yards per punt. He also caught 57 passes for 808 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Pat McInally conceived the Starting Lineup series of action figures circa 1986, the final year of his career, and pitched the idea to Hasbro, a leading producer of toys. They agreed to develop it and the line became a top-seller. Hasbro was later sold to Kenner. Ironically, it took a decade for the creator of the franchise to himself be immortalized. [3] It was discontinued after the 2001 Major League Baseball season, but "SLU's", as they are commonly referred to, are prized among many collectors.
After his retirement, the royalties Pat McInally received from Kenner provided income and also allowed him to work in youth sports and that led to the founding of Good Sports For Life, an organization that, according to McInally: "is dedicated to working with partners to improve youth sports by promoting meaningful participation, improved performance, personal growth, and creating positive experiences for the thirty-seven million kids playing sports today." He writes regular columns on behalf of the organization that appear on NFL.com. [1]
In a coincidental turn of events, Pat McInally joined the Wonderlic company to help student athletes prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
He is married to Leslie and has two children: Jack and Abby.
