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Birth John Fredrick McLean
Born in Menominee Upper Peninsula Michigan. -
Parents were John McLean and Bertha S. Wendt
His Father was Scottish and Irish and his Mother was German -
Played Football and ran Track in Highschool
He helped create the Menominee High School Football Team in 1894. -
Childhood
Enjoyed Riding Logs and Iceboating in the river. At the time everyone his town rode logs from the Lumber Mill down the rivers filled with ice. Normally someone died each year. -
Worked in fathers lumber mill
He didn't like the tough conditions and having to be inside all day. This Persuaded him to go to college. -
Enrolled at Michigan
His father gave him a loan to afford it but it was forgiven when he graduated -
Joined Athletic Teams
He was a reserve for his freshman and sophomore years in football. Was on the Freshman Sophomore team for his first two years on the Track Team. Played Baseball as well. -
Became starting Halfback
He Played right halfback and returned kickoffs and punts. The team had gone 6-1-1 the year before. -
Win against Chicago
Michigan beat Chicago University 12-11 in the Big Ten Championship in Chicago. He had a kick return to the 50 yard line, and 35 yard kick return. In total he ran for 90 yards. -
Michigan fight song written about team
Luis Elbel wrote Michigan Fight song about the teams win against Chicago. The song was inspired by his kick return. -
First BIG 10 Championship
Michigan were crowned Big Ten Champions after the win. This was their first Big Ten Championship. Team finished undefeated and won all ten of their games. -
Became Track Captain
He was the track and field captain for his junior and senior years. In addition to being one of the Longest serving track captains in Michigan history. -
Broke BIG 10 record in broad jump
Also at the BIG Ten Championship he jumped 23 feet. This broke the Michigan and BIG Ten record and was very close to world record at the time. -
Set 120 yard Hurdles record
AT the BIG Ten Championship he ran a time of 16.2 seconds. He won the race and also broke the record for 110 hurdles for Michigan History. -
Named all American half back
Named first team All American by The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Fort Wayne News -
Michigan vs Penn
Michigan Lost 10-11 but he got national attention. He was mentioned in New York Times for how well he played. He was also given an ovation by Penn Fans. At the time Penn was one of the best teams in America. -
Won BIG 10 Track Title
The Michigan Track Team led by him won the Big Ten title. This allowed them to go to the 1900 Stockholm olympics to repersent team USA. It also meant he finished his career without loosing a hurdles race. -
Went to 1900 Paris Olympics for Team USA
The Michigan track team and other college track teams were sent to repersent America in the Stokholm olympics. -
Won Silver in 110 Hurdles
He ran a time of 15.5 seconds. The First Place runner Alvin Kraenzlein ran a 15.4 meaning he lost by 0.1 seconds. The other two medalists were both American from Minnesota and Illinois. Kraenzlein also won gold in the 200m hurdles. -
Got 6th in the Long Jump
The long jump was his second best event. He got sixth in the qualification. However he and other American Athletes did not compete in the finals because they were on Sunday. -
Other olympic competitions
He also competed in the Triple jump and Standing Triple jump. However he wasn't able to make the finals with these times. -
Silver Medal Stolen
On the Ship back from Europe his medal was stolen. -
Became head coach at Knox
Knox is a Small Liberal Arts in Illinois. Its team was formed in 1891 and was not considered a strong team. -
Beat nationaly 19 ranked Notre Dame
The Final Score was 12-5. The game was played in Rock Island Ilinois and Notre Dame was 19nth ranked in the country. After the win and season the team was Crowned Champion of West. Notre Dame is currently the college football team with the fourth most wins in College Football History and has been national champions 11 times. Therefore its considered the greatest win in Knox history. -
Finished ranked 11nth in the Nation.
Finished with a 9/2 record with wins against Notre Dame, Northwestern and Kansas. Only losses were to the third and fifth ranked teams in the country. -
Finished Knox football career
He Finished with a 15-5-3 record over two years, with a 76% win percent. This is the highest win percentage in Knox History. Considered the best period in Knox Football History -
Became Missouri head coach
Missouri University at Columbia is the largest school in Missouri and has football team currently in the SEC which is one of the best confernaces in College Football. -
Payed Henning Ackerson 250$ to play
Henning Ackerson had played for Knox as well and was 25 at the time. Other Missouri alumni had helped him pay. -
Fired from Scandal about paying player
It was revealed he had payed players and he was fired. He was the first college football coach to be fired for paying players. Called the biggest scandal in history of Missouri athletics. Coached at Missouri for three years for a 9/17/1 record. -
Became a Bond Salesman
He stayed a bond salesman until the Great Depression when he went out of business. -
Married Sarah Georgiana Grant
She was From Minnesota. They stayed married their whole lives and had 3 kids. Two girls and a boy. -
Honored at Chicago game
last game between Chicago and Michigan whole team from 1899 honored. Michigan blew them out -
Death
He was Buried in his home town of Menominee Michigan.He died at 77. -
Inducted into Knox College Athletics Hall of Fame
He was inducted for his contributions to the Knox Football Team.