“Out of nowhere, I found out that I was second-team,” McInally recalled. “When I heard it was Lynn Swann ahead of me, that was when I first began to really think about a career in the NFL. Harvard’s not exactly a football school, but that recognition gave me the confidence to keep going with my career.”

McInally came back even stronger in his senior campaign, setting another Crimson record for receiving touchdowns with eight while falling just short of matching his previous marks in receptions and receiving yards.

Unlike the year before, these statistics proved to be enough. McInally was named a first team All-American at wide receiver.

Thus he capped a college career in which he piled up a total of 108 receptions, 1,485 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns. All of these accomplishments were school records at the time he graduated.

A UNIQUE LIFE

“The trait that defines my dad most is probably his curiosity for so many things in life,” Jack McInally said. “At any given time, he’s doing what fascinates him most.”

There is no better explanation for all that McInally has accomplished since graduating from college. While most professional athletes worry about what they will do after their careers are over, McInally began pursuing other interests before his 10 year stint with the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL was finished.

Taking an increasing amount of interest in youth sports at the end of his playing days, McInally started a column called “Pat Answers for Kids.” It was run in over 100 newspapers nationwide at the height of its popularity, and as McInally responded to both teenagers and parents, he became aware of the problems and pressures facing young athletes. The cause is one that has since defined his life.

At around the same time that he began the column, McInally also showed how versatile he was on the field. When a series of concussions in his early years with the Cincinnati Bengals made it difficult for him to continue playing wide receiver, he became a full-time punter for the team.

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“I loved to punt before I even learned how to play receiver,” Pat McInally explained. “My dad and I would go out and kick the ball around when I was young, and before I knew it, I was really good at it.”

McInally’s penchant for punting ended up saving his NFL career, as he made the transition to the new position seamlessly. He went on to lead the league in average punting yardage multiple times in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, and was named to the All-Pro team in 1981.

AN UNEXPECTED FRIENDSHIP

Of everything Pat McInally has done in the world of football, however, there is nothing he is more proud of than the relationship he developed with a fellow athlete by the name of Michael Jacobs.

Early in the spring of 1976, McInally found himself back home in Villa Park, California, preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime. In just a few months, he would enter the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, punting and catching passes from Pro-Bowl quarterback Ken Anderson.