Ray McLean
Encyclopedia
Ray "Scooter" McLean was a football
player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels, but may be best remembered for preceding Vince Lombardi
as head coach of the Green Bay Packers
in 1958.
McLean was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts
and Concord, New Hampshire
who played both football and basketball at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
in 1940 and played eight years with the team, and also found time during the offseason to play semipro baseball. Though his name is listed as Ray McLean his real last name is MacLean, and was changed because the press would always spell it wrong.
During his time with the Bears, McLean played on both sides of the ball, catching 103 passes for over 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also gaining 412 yards via the running game. On defense, he intercepted 18 opponent tosses, while his special teams work also sparkled with three punt returns for touchdowns, one an 89-yard dash against the crosstown Chicago Cardinals
. In his final season (1947), he served as the team's kicker.
On March 3, 1948, McLean signed a contract to serve as head coach
of Lewis College
in Lockport, Illinois
. To supplement his income during that first year, he also served as an assistant coach with the All-America Football Conference
's Chicago Rockets
. During his first two seasons at Lewis, McLean's teams completely dominated, outscoring opponents 548-80 while compiling a 14-2 record. In 1950, the school moved to the much stronger Midlands Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but McLean left after that campaign to become an assistant with the Packers.
Working under head coach Gene Ronzani
, McLean watched the Packers struggle with a 3-9 mark in 1951, but then improve by three games the following year. However, after winning just twice in 10 games, Ronzani was fired on November 27, 1953 with two games remaining. McLean and fellow Packer assistant Hugh Devore
then finished the season as co-head coaches.
McLean returned to his role as an assistant under new head coach Lisle Blackbourn
, but a 17-31 record over the next four years meant another coaching change was in the works for Green Bay. On January 6, 1958, the 42-year-old McLean was elevated to the position of Packers' head coach
, but the team bottomed-out under his leadership, which included players deciding how they should discipline themselves. The Packers finished the 1958
season with a franchise-worst 1-10-1 record. McLean resigned at the conclusion of the season, which opened the way for the hiring of Lombardi
in January 1959.
McLean found work as an assistant with the Detroit Lions
under former Bears teammate George Wilson
, and served in that role for the next five years. Midway through the 1963 NFL season
, he entered an Ann Arbor
hospital and was diagnosed with cancer. Scooter McLean died four months later, at the age of 48.
McLean is also remembered as being one of the last players to perform a drop-kick, in 1941. It would be more than six decades later before another occurrence of this feat would be seen, when on January 1, 2006, the New England Patriots
' Doug Flutie
kicked one against the Miami Dolphins
. (The last time a drop kick was successfully attempted for a field goal
was by Earl "Dutch" Clark.)
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels, but may be best remembered for preceding Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
as head coach of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in 1958.
McLean was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
who played both football and basketball at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1940 and played eight years with the team, and also found time during the offseason to play semipro baseball. Though his name is listed as Ray McLean his real last name is MacLean, and was changed because the press would always spell it wrong.
During his time with the Bears, McLean played on both sides of the ball, catching 103 passes for over 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also gaining 412 yards via the running game. On defense, he intercepted 18 opponent tosses, while his special teams work also sparkled with three punt returns for touchdowns, one an 89-yard dash against the crosstown Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In his final season (1947), he served as the team's kicker.
On March 3, 1948, McLean signed a contract to serve as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of Lewis College
Lewis College
Lewis College was a small institution that operated in Glasgow, Missouri from 1867 until 1892.-History:The college was founded by two brothers, Benjamin W. and James W. Lewis. The Lewis family were active members of the Methodist Church and supporters of the Union during the Civil War...
in Lockport, Illinois
Lockport, Illinois
Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, that incorporated in 1853. Lockport is located in northeastern Illinois, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, and north of Joliet, at locks connecting Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal with the Des Plaines River via the Lockport...
. To supplement his income during that first year, he also served as an assistant coach with the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
's Chicago Rockets
Chicago Rockets
The Chicago Rockets was an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets...
. During his first two seasons at Lewis, McLean's teams completely dominated, outscoring opponents 548-80 while compiling a 14-2 record. In 1950, the school moved to the much stronger Midlands Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but McLean left after that campaign to become an assistant with the Packers.
Working under head coach Gene Ronzani
Gene Ronzani
Gene Ronzani was the second head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He coached the Packers from 1951 until 1953. He resigned with two games remaining in the 1953 season and was replaced on an interim basis by the tandem of Hugh Devore and Ray Scooter McLean....
, McLean watched the Packers struggle with a 3-9 mark in 1951, but then improve by three games the following year. However, after winning just twice in 10 games, Ronzani was fired on November 27, 1953 with two games remaining. McLean and fellow Packer assistant Hugh Devore
Hugh Devore
Hugh John Devore was a football player and coach whose close connection to the University of Notre Dame saw him serve in both capacities, while also seeing time as head coach at two other colleges as well as the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles.-Early career:Devore was born and...
then finished the season as co-head coaches.
McLean returned to his role as an assistant under new head coach Lisle Blackbourn
Lisle Blackbourn
Lisle "Liz" Blackbourn was an American football coach who was the third head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He coached the Packers from 1954 to 1957....
, but a 17-31 record over the next four years meant another coaching change was in the works for Green Bay. On January 6, 1958, the 42-year-old McLean was elevated to the position of Packers' head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
, but the team bottomed-out under his leadership, which included players deciding how they should discipline themselves. The Packers finished the 1958
1958 NFL season
The 1958 NFL season was the 39th regular season of the National Football League.The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants, 23–17, in the first sudden-death overtime in an NFL Championship Game...
season with a franchise-worst 1-10-1 record. McLean resigned at the conclusion of the season, which opened the way for the hiring of Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
in January 1959.
McLean found work as an assistant with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
under former Bears teammate George Wilson
George Wilson (football coach)
George Wilson was a professional football end and later a coach for the National Football League's Detroit Lions and the American Football League's Miami Dolphins....
, and served in that role for the next five years. Midway through the 1963 NFL season
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
, he entered an Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
hospital and was diagnosed with cancer. Scooter McLean died four months later, at the age of 48.
McLean is also remembered as being one of the last players to perform a drop-kick, in 1941. It would be more than six decades later before another occurrence of this feat would be seen, when on January 1, 2006, the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
' Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
kicked one against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. (The last time a drop kick was successfully attempted for a field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
was by Earl "Dutch" Clark.)