Dexter McCleon
Dexter Keith McCleon (born October 9, 1973) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League. He played for the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans in his ten-year career that started in 1997. In addition to his career in the NFL, McCleon was a volunteer assistant football coach at Meridian High School in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi.
| No. 24, 21, 22, 20 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety / cornerback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | October 9, 1973 Meridian, Mississippi | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College: | Clemson | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1997 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Early years
McCleon was an All-American quarterback at Meridian High School in Meridian, Mississippi and was also a star baseball player there and got drafted in the 13th-round by the Minnesota Twins in the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft but decided to play college football in Clemson University as a cornerback and also played baseball at Clemson.
College career
At Clemson, McCleon was a 2 sport star as a quarterback in his early years and also a baseball player. He also was a First-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as a senior and got drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2nd round, 40th pick, of the 1997 NFL Draft. McCleon is the only player in ACC Football history to be named ACC Player of the Week on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams all in the same season
Professional career
St. Louis Rams
McCleon played with the Rams for six seasons, helping them reach Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 in which McCleon had seven tackles vs the Tennessee Titans. McCleon also started at cornerback for the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI vs the New England Patriots. McCleon is famously seen on camera during Super Bowl XXXVI saying to his Rams' teammate, Dre Bly, while both were sitting on the bench: "Tom Brady…overrated." referring to Patriots now legendary, but then very new quarterback. In 2001, McCleon led the NFL with 7 interceptions. McCleon was a starter for the Rams in Super Bowls XXXIV and XXXVI at cornerback.
Kansas City Chiefs
McCleon signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2003 and started for two seasons. In 2003, McCleon lead the NFL with 8 interceptions. In 2005, McCleon played in eleven games as a nickleback, making twenty-one tackles and two interceptions. On March 10, 2006, the Chiefs cut McCleon in a salary cap cut move.
Houston Texans
McCleon was signed by the Houston Texans on April 1, 2006. In the 2006 season, he had a good season as a corner for the Texans. He was released on Aug 24, 2007.
NFL statistics
| Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | STL | 16 | 13 | 13 | 00 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 02 |
| 1998 | STL | 15 | 29 | 28 | 01 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 06 |
| 1999 | STL | 15 | 45 | 41 | 04 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 04 | 14 | 0 | 16 |
| 2000 | STL | 16 | 54 | 49 | 05 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 28 | 04 | 23 | 0 | 19 |
| 2001 | STL | 16 | 64 | 58 | 06 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 17 | 43 | 1 | 18 |
| 2002 | STL | 13 | 22 | 18 | 04 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 02 |
| 2003 | KC | 16 | 60 | 55 | 05 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -3 | -1 | 00 | 0 | 14 |
| 2004 | KC | 13 | 36 | 30 | 06 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 12 | 23 | 0 | 09 |
| 2005 | KC | 12 | 21 | 20 | 01 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 0 | 07 |
| 2006 | HOU | 16 | 29 | 22 | 07 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 01 |
| Career | 148 | 373 | 334 | 39 | 4.5 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 179 | 6 | 43 | 1 | 94 |
Key
- GP: games played
- COMB: combined tackles
- TOTAL: total tackles
- AST: assisted tackles
- SACK: sacks
- FF: forced fumbles
- FR: fumble recoveries
- FR YDS: fumble return yards
- INT: interceptions
- IR YDS: interception return yards
- AVG IR: average interception return
- LNG: longest interception return
- TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
- PD: passes defended
Personal life
McCleon finished a 10-year NFL career with 31 career interceptions. After a pro career, he went on to coach for his alma mater Meridian HS Wildcats for 2 years. They were the team to end the Longest Streak in history, that was held by the South Panola Tigers at 89-1. McCleon is single and has 1 son, Dexter Jr., who is 8 years old. He currently resides in Hoover, AL.