Lamar McHan

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1932–1998)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Lamar McHan

| image = Lamar McHan.jpg

| alt =

| caption = As a collegian at Arkansas, circa 1953

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1932|12|16}}

| birth_place = Lake Village, Arkansas, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1998|11|23|1932|12|16}}

| death_place = Jefferson, Louisiana, U.S.

| number = 8, 17, 14, 15

| status =

| position = Quarterback

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lbs = 201

| high_school = Lake Village (AR) Lakeside

| college = Arkansas

| draftyear = 1954

| draftround = 1

| draftpick = 2

| pastteams =

| pastcoaching =

Northern Arizona (1969-1970)
Assistant coach
University of Texas at Arlington (1971-1973)
Assistant coach
New Orleans Saints (1974-1975, 1978-1984)
Quarterbacks/receivers coach

| highlights =

First-team All-SWC (1953)

| statlabel1 = Pass attempts

| statvalue1 = 1,442

| statlabel2 = Pass completions

| statvalue2 = 610

| statlabel3 = Percentage

| statvalue3 = 42.3

| statlabel4 = TD-INT

| statvalue4 = 73-108

| statlabel5 = Passing yards

| statvalue5 = 9,449

| statlabel6 = Passer rating

| statvalue6 = 50.3

| pfr = McHaLa00

}}

Clarence Lamar McHan (December 16, 1932 – November 23, 1998) was an American football player and coach. He played professionally for ten seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Colts, and San Francisco 49ers.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g5ZGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g_gMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5599%2C6238956 |newspaper=The Day |location=New London, Connecticut |agency=Associated Press |title=Lamar McHan |date= November 27, 1998 |page=D8 }}

Early years

Born and raised in Lake Village, Arkansas, McHan graduated from its Lakeside High School and played college football at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he was a single-wing tailback.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MqYtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tdYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4590%2C3744000 |newspaper=Southeast Missourian |location=Cape Girardeau |agency=Associated Press |title=Strong Arkansas back rated as best |date=November 7, 1953 |page=4 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wWsrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rdkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3303%2C4677823 |newspaper=Spencer Sunday Times |location=Iowa |agency=Associated Press |title=McHan sparks Arkansas win |date=November 29, 1953 |page=11 }} He was ninth in the 1953 Heisman Trophy balloting and played in the Blue-Gray Game in December and the College All-Star Game in Chicago in August 1954.

Playing career

McHan was the second overall selection of the 1954 NFL draft, taken by the Chicago Cardinals. He played with the Cardinals for five seasons, through 1958,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uMAVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FBAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7206%2C1377843 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel | last = Lea | first = Bud | author-link = Bud Lea |title='New' McHan set to plague Cards |date=September 4, 1960 |page=S3}} but was suspended and fined by the team in November 1956 for insubordination.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zrZOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wAAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7270%2C1912237 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |title=Chicago Cardinals fine McHan $3,000 for refusal to drill |date=November 21, 1956 |page=15}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fUgaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=syUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1395%2C109221 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=press dispatches |title=Chicago Cards may relent on $3,000 fine if quarterback McHan shows proper spirit |date=November 21, 1956 |page=7, part 2 }}{{Cite news |date=November 22, 1956 |title=Suspended McHan drills with Cards |page=42 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9sZRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3GsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6503%2C3670741}}

McHan was traded to the Green Bay Packers in May 1959,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_ekVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nw8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4783%2C1365435 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |title=McHan traded to Packers |date=May 23, 1959 |page=1, part 3}} under first-year head coach and general manager Vince Lombardi. In 1959, he was the starting quarterback for the first six games, then had a minor leg injury, and was replaced by future hall of fame quarterback Bart Starr.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l0gaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lCYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1693%2C336939 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |last=Johnson |first=Chuck |title=Starr's comeback secret of Packers' success |date=December 11, 1959 |page=15, part 2 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5zoaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AScEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6540%2C3673198 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |last=Johnson |first=Chuck |title=Lombardi trades McHan to Baltimore for draft pick |date=March 28, 1961 |page=14, part 2 }} McHan started and won several games in 1960, then was traded to the Baltimore Colts in March 1961,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5zoaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AScEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4517%2C3456312 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |title=Packers deal back McHan to Baltimore |date=March 27, 1961 |page=1, final }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JJ5RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PmwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7094%2C6784474|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Packers send McHan to Baltimore Colts |date=March 28, 1961 |page=22 }} and played behind Johnny Unitas. He was waived by the Colts in September 1963 and was picked up by San Francisco.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9G9IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5191%2C241250 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=UPI |title=Brodie out six weeks, arm broken |date=October 2, 1963 |page=2, part 2}} He played briefly with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1965, winning the starting job at training camp, only to be cut after losing his first two starts.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C8QtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_p4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=7320%2C5210632 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Canadian Press |title=Argonauts sign McHan |date=March 24, 1965 |page=33 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gtojAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nCcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2293%2C2699857 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=Associated Press |title=McHan signs with Toronto |date=March 23, 1065 |page=14, part 2}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZIY1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=n58FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6167%2C2780493 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Canadian Press |title=Argonauts cut Lamar McHan |date=August 16, 1965 |page=23 }}

Coaching career

After retiring from football, McHan became an assistant coach at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and at the University of Texas at Arlington. He finished out his coaching career back in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints from 1974 to 1984 under three different head coaches: John North, Dick Nolan, and Bum Phillips.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VltOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3646%2C714702 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=McHan set |date=February 4, 1981 |page=21 }} (He was not on the staff of Hank Stram in 1976 and 1977.)

Death

McHan died at age 65 in Jefferson, Louisiana, a suburb west of New Orleans, of a heart attack in 1998. He is buried at Garden of Memories in Metairie.