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For the first 20 years of his life, Jack McInally never saw a single clip of his father’s college playing days. Despite playing quarterback for the high school team his father, Pat McInally ‘75, coached and later joining the very same coaching staff as offensive coordinator, Jack rarely heard about Pat’s exploits as an All-American wide receiver at Harvard or All-Pro punter in the NFL.

It was not until last month, when Pat discovered he would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of a 14-member 2016 class, that Jack finally saw videos of his father’s electric route running and acrobatic catches.

Around the same time, when he was honored in a press conference before the College Football Playoff Championship Game and invited to the coin toss ceremony at midfield, the memories began coming back for the elder McInally.

“[The committee] asked me if I had any clips from when I played back in the 70’s,” McInally chuckled as he recounted the call he received in early January. “I told them I hadn’t touched them in a long, long time, and wasn’t sure where they were. They somehow still managed to find some footage to play at the presentation, some that I didn’t even remember happened.”

For people who know Pat McInally,it is easy to understand why those clips are not a more important part of his life. To them, it has always been clear that his love for sports extends beyond the football field.

“Pat did so much off the field that it’s easy to forget sometimes how good he was on it,” long-time friend Michael Jacobs ’81 said. “It’s hard to believe that one guy could have impacted the world of football in so many different ways.”

From writing nationally syndicated newspaper columns advising parents of young athletes, to envisioning the original concept behind the multi-million dollar Starting Lineup football action-figure franchise, to coaching youth football, McInally has touched the sport at every level.

A CRIMSON STANDOUT

Pat McInally arrived at Harvard in the fall of 1971 looking to make his mark as a member of the school’s basketball team. Back home in Southern California, McInally had been a standout athlete in football, basketball, and volleyball.

Upon trying out for and joining the freshmen “Yardlings” football team, McInally immediately established himself as a player to watch on the gridiron.

In a Crimson game recap from 1971, his freshman season, one writer observed, “Coach Joe Restic and company were present for the game yesterday. They came to see if the lanky McInally might be able to bolster next year’s varsity offense, [and he] didn’t let them down, scoring 19 points, averaging close to 60 yards on kick-offs and completing 3 out of 4 conversions.”

After not receiving much playing time his sophomore year following his move to the varsity squad, McInally blossomed the following season. With John Hagerty ’72, Harvard’s leading receiver the previous year, graduating, McInally assumed the role of the primary target on the field.

He became a key cog in the offense right away, collecting 17 catches and 3 touchdowns in his first three games of 1973. By the time the season ended, McInally had amassed 56 receptions for 752 yards and 7 touchdowns, breaking multiple school records and cementing his spot in Harvard football history.

Players and press from across the country noticed McInally’s breakout year, voting him second team All-American behind USC standout Lynn Swann.