(Player Spotlight) - John McClellan #65, Nickname - "Murdock"- Nose Guard, Center on Punts, and Specialty Teams

John started playing football with us in 1980 on the 11-0 undefeated Travis Redskins. He played on three undefeated teams in a five-year period, including the 1982 JV 9-0 unscored-upon team and the 1984 12-0 Section Champs. The teams John played on went 45-4-2. John was a defensive lineman and nose guard and at 6', 185 lbs. he was dynamite off the ball. Murdock quickly earned the reputation as being the fastest defensive lineman when the ball was hiked. He was our roadrunner. John penetrated into the backfield often and easily, disrupting plays, making tackles or sacking the quarterback. In 1984, he made sacks look easy. John was zany and unpredictable when he played, so early on we nicknamed him "Murdock" after a 1980's quirky sitcom character. Murdock was an old school football stud and a one-man wrecking crew. Many times he would penetrate into the backfield before the other trenchers. Murdock made a big impact on the gridiron, and his performance was a reason we went undefeated. He was known for making fumbles or intercepts. Murdock was also our center on punts because he had perfected the long hike. One day when we trot onto the gridiron again to play ball with Coaches Tom Kiefer (RIP), Tom Newsom (RIP) and Chuck Coates (RIP), John will be in the lineup as our nose guard. Thanks for the memories, Murdock. You took names.