John McLean (athlete)
Encyclopedia
John Frederick McLean was an All-American college football
player, track and field athlete, and coach. He won a silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1900 Summer Olympics
in Paris
with a time of 15.5 seconds. He was also selected as an All-American football player in 1899 while playing for the University of Michigan
. He went on to coach the Knox College and University of Missouri
football teams in the 1900s. He was dismissed from his coaching position at Missouri in January 1906 after being accused of paying money to a player.
, a lumber town located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He enrolled in the University of Michigan
where he became a star athlete in American football
, track and field, and baseball. He played as a substitute on Michigan's 1897 football team and played left halfback for the 1898 and 1899 teams. McLean was also a member of Michigan's track and baseball teams. In May 1899, McLean set the University of Michigan school record in the 120-yard hurdles with a time of 16-1/5 seconds. On the same day, he also broke a western intercollegiate record in the running broad jump by clearing 23 feet.
In 1898, McLean played on Michigan's first Western Conference (as the Big Ten Conference
was then known) championship football team. The Wolverines won the championship with a 12–11 victory over Chicago—a game that inspired Louis Elbel to write the University of Michigan
's fight song, "The Victors
." McLean contributed to the win over Chicago with a kick return to the 50-yard line and a second kick return for 35 yards.
In November 1899, McLean led the Wolverines in a game against eastern football power, the University of Pennsylvania
at Franklin Field
in Philadelphia. The Wolverines lost the game 11–10, but McLean's play at left halfback drew praise in newspaper accounts carried across the country. McLean made several long runs, principally on end run
s. Michigan scored its first touchdown "wholly on a series of runs by McLean, around Pennsylvania's left end." The score came on a 22-yard end run that "set the Michigan rooters fairly wild." The New York Times
reported that even the Penn fans showed their appreciation for McLean -- "his brilliant sprinting around Pennsylvania's ends often brought applause from the followers of the Quakers."
McLean's final game for Michigan was a November 1899 match against the University of Wisconsin played in front of 17,000 fans in Chicago. Newspaper accounts reported that Michigan's "crack halfback" McLean "made one of his end runs" with ten minutes to play—a forty-yard run for a touchdown. Another newspaper described McLean's final touchdown as follows: "the premier halfback, receiving the ball on the forty-yard line, bounded past the Badgers' left end, and at a high speed struck out for the goal line."
After the season ended, McLean received acknowledgement with his selection as a first-team All-American, including All-American selections by The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Fort Wayne News.
in track and field events
at the 1900 Summer Olympics
in Paris
. He won the silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles with a time of 15.5 seconds. Alvin Kraenzlein
took gold with a time of 15.4 seconds.
McLean also took sixth place in the long jump
with a distance of 6.655 metres, not making it into the top five who qualified for the final, as well as the triple jump
, in which he did not place in the top six, and the standing triple jump
, in which he did not make the top four.
located in Galesburg, Illinois
. He compiled a 15–5–3 record as football coach at Knox from 1901 to 1903. McLean turned Knox into an elite football program in 1902, leading to speculation that he was recruiting ringers. McLean denied the allegation, insisting that every man on the team was "a bona fide student of the college." McLean won fame "by coaching little Knox college into a high place in western football."
. He coached the Missouri Tigers for three years (1903–1905) and compiled an overall record of 9–17–1. In 1906, McLean became involved in a scandal that resulted in his dismissal as Missouri's head coach. Evidence was presented that Akerson, the star fullback on Missouri's 1904 team, was a professional who had been "hired" to serve on the team. Akerson had previously played at Knox and went on to become "one of the best individual players who was ever a member of a Tiger team." McLean paid Akerson $250 out of his own pocket, and several alumni from Kansas City were to have shared the expense. However, the others "welched," and when McLean wrote to them requesting that they pay their share, they turned over the correspondence to the university's athletic director. The news created "a real sensation" that resulted in McLean's being "dismissed in disgrace." A Nebraska newspaper called it "the biggest scandal in the history of Missouri athletics," and some even called for the abolition of football at the school.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player, track and field athlete, and coach. He won a silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, twenty-three athletics events were contested. 117 athletes from 15 nations competed. In many countries, due in part to the conflagration of the Olympic Games and the World's Fair in Paris, the media discussed only the athletics events under the "Olympic" name while...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with a time of 15.5 seconds. He was also selected as an All-American football player in 1899 while playing for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He went on to coach the Knox College and University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
football teams in the 1900s. He was dismissed from his coaching position at Missouri in January 1906 after being accused of paying money to a player.
Athlete at Michigan
McLean's hometown was Menominee, MichiganMenominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...
, a lumber town located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He enrolled in the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he became a star athlete in American football
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...
, track and field, and baseball. He played as a substitute on Michigan's 1897 football team and played left halfback for the 1898 and 1899 teams. McLean was also a member of Michigan's track and baseball teams. In May 1899, McLean set the University of Michigan school record in the 120-yard hurdles with a time of 16-1/5 seconds. On the same day, he also broke a western intercollegiate record in the running broad jump by clearing 23 feet.
In 1898, McLean played on Michigan's first Western Conference (as the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
was then known) championship football team. The Wolverines won the championship with a 12–11 victory over Chicago—a game that inspired Louis Elbel to write the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
's fight song, "The Victors
The Victors
"The Victors" is the fight song of the University of Michigan . It was composed by UM student Louis Elbel in 1898 following the last-minute football victory over the University of Chicago that clinched a league championship...
." McLean contributed to the win over Chicago with a kick return to the 50-yard line and a second kick return for 35 yards.
In November 1899, McLean led the Wolverines in a game against eastern football power, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
at Franklin Field
Franklin Field
Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...
in Philadelphia. The Wolverines lost the game 11–10, but McLean's play at left halfback drew praise in newspaper accounts carried across the country. McLean made several long runs, principally on end run
End run
An end run in football is a running play in which the player carrying the ball tries to avoid being tackled by evading the defending players from the opposing team...
s. Michigan scored its first touchdown "wholly on a series of runs by McLean, around Pennsylvania's left end." The score came on a 22-yard end run that "set the Michigan rooters fairly wild." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that even the Penn fans showed their appreciation for McLean -- "his brilliant sprinting around Pennsylvania's ends often brought applause from the followers of the Quakers."
McLean's final game for Michigan was a November 1899 match against the University of Wisconsin played in front of 17,000 fans in Chicago. Newspaper accounts reported that Michigan's "crack halfback" McLean "made one of his end runs" with ten minutes to play—a forty-yard run for a touchdown. Another newspaper described McLean's final touchdown as follows: "the premier halfback, receiving the ball on the forty-yard line, bounded past the Badgers' left end, and at a high speed struck out for the goal line."
After the season ended, McLean received acknowledgement with his selection as a first-team All-American, including All-American selections by The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Fort Wayne News.
Olympic athlete
McLean competed for the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in track and field events
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
at the 1900 Summer Olympics
1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He won the silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles with a time of 15.5 seconds. Alvin Kraenzlein
Alvin Kraenzlein
Alvin Christian Kraenzlein was an American athlete. He was the first sportsman to win four Olympic titles in a single Olympic Games...
took gold with a time of 15.4 seconds.
McLean also took sixth place in the long jump
Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump
The men's long jump was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 14 and July 15, 1900. 12 athletes from six nations competed in the long jump.-Records:...
with a distance of 6.655 metres, not making it into the top five who qualified for the final, as well as the triple jump
Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's triple jump
The men's triple jump was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 16, 1900. 13 athletes from six nations competed in the triple jump.-Records:...
, in which he did not place in the top six, and the standing triple jump
Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's standing triple jump
The men's standing triple jump was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 16, 1900. 10 athletes from four nations competed in the standing triple jump.-Records:...
, in which he did not make the top four.
Knox College
In 1901, McLean became the head football coach at Knox College, a private liberal arts collegeLiberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
located in Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
. He compiled a 15–5–3 record as football coach at Knox from 1901 to 1903. McLean turned Knox into an elite football program in 1902, leading to speculation that he was recruiting ringers. McLean denied the allegation, insisting that every man on the team was "a bona fide student of the college." McLean won fame "by coaching little Knox college into a high place in western football."
University of Missouri
In 1903, McLean was hired as the head football coach at the University of MissouriUniversity of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. He coached the Missouri Tigers for three years (1903–1905) and compiled an overall record of 9–17–1. In 1906, McLean became involved in a scandal that resulted in his dismissal as Missouri's head coach. Evidence was presented that Akerson, the star fullback on Missouri's 1904 team, was a professional who had been "hired" to serve on the team. Akerson had previously played at Knox and went on to become "one of the best individual players who was ever a member of a Tiger team." McLean paid Akerson $250 out of his own pocket, and several alumni from Kansas City were to have shared the expense. However, the others "welched," and when McLean wrote to them requesting that they pay their share, they turned over the correspondence to the university's athletic director. The news created "a real sensation" that resulted in McLean's being "dismissed in disgrace." A Nebraska newspaper called it "the biggest scandal in the history of Missouri athletics," and some even called for the abolition of football at the school.