Fred Lee McAfee (born June 20, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) He played for the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fred McAfee
No. 25, 35, 26, 30
Position:Running back
Special teamer
Personal information
Born: (1968-06-20) June 20, 1968 (age 56)
Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Philadelphia (MS)
College:Mississippi College
NFL draft:1991 / round: 6 / pick: 154
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:1,273
Rushing average:4.2
Rushing touchdowns:8
Receptions:35
Receiving yards:211
Return yards:2,412
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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McAfee attended Philadelphia High School (Mississippi) and was a student and a letterman in football & track. In football, he won All-District honors. In track, he was a two-time state champion in the pole vault. McAfee graduated high school in 1986. Fred is also a first cousin to legendary running back Marcus Dupree, and was the Philadelphia High School Football team's ball boy during Dupree's renowned years. A person featured in the ESPN "30 for 30" series about Marcus Dupree says that a young McAfee would give away or sell Dupree's torn game jerseys.

McAfee graduated with a degree in mass communication from Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi and played for the Choctaws football team in Division II. He set school records for rushing yards, attempts and rushing touchdowns. He led the Choctaws to the 1989 Gulf South Conference football champion, which was later vacated as punishment for recruiting violations, and earned All-American (D-II) honors.[1]

Professional career

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McAfee was selected by the Saints in the 1991 NFL draft.[2] He is the first player in Saints franchise history to be on the roster for three (1991, 2000, 2006) of the team's division titles. The 1991 season was his most prolific, offensively, as he rushed for a career-high 109 times for 494 yards and two touchdowns.

During the 1994 season, McAfee played for the Arizona Cardinals for seven games, then was released. On November 9, 1994, McAfee signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who he would play for until the 1999 season, where he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. While he was with the Steelers, he played in Super Bowl XXX, which the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27–17.

However, less than a month after signing with the Chiefs, he was released. On December 28, 1999, McAfee signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the 1999 season, McAfee played in only one game, and in October 2000, McAfee signed with the team that drafted him back in 1991, the New Orleans Saints. Throughout his second stint with the Saints, McAfee re-signed and declared free agency numerous times with the Saints. He was elected to go to the Pro Bowl in 2002 for his special team efforts. He was also known around the team for his tremendous work ethic, being a leader on and off the football field, and bringing a camaraderie to the locker room. During his second stint with the Saints, for 6 seasons, McAfee had only seven attempts for 117 yards. On August 28, 2006, McAfee was cut by the New Orleans Saints, thus making him a free agent eligible to sign with any NFL team. McAfee was re-signed by the Saints on November 21, 2006. On December 27, McAfee was waived by the Saints. Two days later, he was re-signed by the Saints and scored a touchdown on December 31, 2006, against the Carolina Panthers. This was McAfee's first NFL touchdown since October 26, 1998, which was on a blocked punt and his first rushing/offensive touchdown since September 10, 1995,

A few weeks later, on January 10, 2007, McAfee was placed on the Injured Reserve list by the Saints, reportedly to make roster room for newly signed place kicker Billy Cundiff. On May 25, 2007, the Saints announced they would hire him as director of player programs.[3][4]

Career statistics

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Rushing statistics[5]

Year Team Games Carries Yards Yards per Carry Longest Carry Touchdowns First Downs Fumbles Fumbles Lost
1991 NO 9 109 494 4.5 34 2 23 0 0
1992 NO 14 39 114 2.9 19 1 8 0 0
1993 NO 15 51 160 3.1 27 1 7 1 1
1994 ARI 7 2 -5 -2.5 2 1 1 1 0
1994 PIT 6 16 56 3.5 13 1 5 0 0
1995 PIT 16 39 156 4.0 22 1 11 0 0
1996 PIT 14 7 17 2.4 5 0 0 0 0
1997 PIT 14 13 41 3.2 9 0 1 1 1
1998 PIT 14 18 111 6.2 14 0 5 0 0
2000 NO 12 2 37 18.5 40 0 1 0 0
2001 NO 16 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0 0
2002 NO 11 1 11 11.0 11 0 1 0 0
2003 NO 14 1 13 13.0 13 0 1 0 0
2004 NO 11 2 54 27.0 53 0 1 0 0
2006 NO 4 3 12 4.0 6 1 1 0 0
Career 193 304 1,273 4.2 53 8 66 3 2

Receiving statistics[5]

Year Team Games Receptions Yards Yards per Reception Longest Reception Touchdowns First Downs Fumbles Fumbles Lost
1991 NO 9 1 8 8.0 8 0 0 0 0
1992 NO 14 1 16 16.0 16 0 1 0 0
1993 NO 15 1 3 3.0 3 0 0 0 0
1994 ARI 7 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0
1995 PIT 16 15 88 5.9 18 0 2 0 0
1996 PIT 14 5 21 4.2 9 0 1 0 0
1997 PIT 14 2 44 22.0 30 0 2 0 0
1998 PIT 14 9 27 3.0 11 0 1 0 0
Career 193 35 211 6.0 30 0 7 0 0

Kickoff return statistics[5]

Year Team Games Attempts Yards Touchdowns Fair Catches Longest Return
1991 NO 9 1 14 0 0 14
1992 NO 14 19 393 0 0 38
1993 NO 15 28 580 0 0 55
1994 ARI 7 7 113 0 0 29
1995 PIT 16 5 56 0 0 25
1998 PIT 14 1 10 0 0 25
2000 NO 12 10 251 0 0 52
2001 NO 16 6 144 0 0 34
2002 NO 11 2 69 0 0 51
2003 NO 14 9 140 0 0 23
2004 NO 11 8 137 0 0 26
2005 NO 16 22 485 0 0 34
2006 NO 4 1 20 0 0 20
Career 159 119 2,412 0 0 55

References

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  1. ^ "Fred McAfee to be Featured Speaker at Mississippi College Athletics Dinner". gscsports.org. August 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Saints hire Fred McAfee to help players with off-the-field needs".
  4. ^ "Vet RB McAfee accepts job in Saints front office". May 26, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c "Fred McAfee Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
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