Dexter McCleon

Dexter Keith McCleon (born October 9, 1973) is an American former professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). 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.

Dexter McCleon

No. 24, 21, 22, 20
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1973-10-09) October 9, 1973 (age 51) Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
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
St. Louis Rams (1997–2002) Kansas City Chiefs (2003–2005) Houston Texans (2006)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XXXIV) Second-team All-ACC (1996)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 372 Sacks: 4.5 Passes Defended: 50 Interceptions: 31 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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 two 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 second 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 was selected in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft.^[1] McCleon played with the Rams for six seasons. He was a starter from 1999 to 2001.^[2] He helped 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 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. In 2002, his last season with the Rams, he lost his starting place to Dre Bly, and in 2003 the Rams released him for salary cap reasons to avoid paying his $3.9 million expected salary.^[2]

Kansas City Chiefs

McCleon signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2003, signing a five-year $11 million contract.^[3] He started for two seasons. In 2003, McCleon lead the NFL with 8 interceptions. In 2005, McCleon played in eleven games as a nickelback, 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 August 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

^[4]

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 High School Wildcats for two years. McCleon has a son, Dexter Jr., who is a top high school baseball prospect. He resides in Hoover, Alabama.

References

1. "1997 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
2. "Chiefs, Ex-Rams CB McCleon Reach Deal". March 4, 2003.
3. "ESPN.com: NFL - McCleon signs five-year deal". A.espncdn.com. March 24, 2003. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
4. "Dexter McCleon Stats".