Dexter McCluster facts for kids
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McCluster at the 2010 Ole Miss spring game
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| No. 22, 33 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | August 25, 1988 Largo, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 170 lb (77 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Largo | ||||||||||||
| College: | Ole Miss (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Dexter Marquise McCluster (born August 25, 1988) is a former American football player. He was a running back and return specialist. Dexter played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, and San Diego Chargers. He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Arena League (NAL).
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Early Life and High School Sports
Dexter McCluster grew up in Largo, Florida. He went to Largo High School. While there, he was a great student and played three sports: football, basketball, and track.
In football, Dexter was amazing. During his junior year, he ran for 1,424 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. As a senior, he helped his team, the Largo Packers, win the 2005 District Championship. That year, he ran for an incredible 2,490 yards and scored 39 touchdowns! He was named the All-Suncoast Player of the Year.
Dexter was also a talented track and field athlete. He was good at jumping events. He could long jump 6.94 meters and high jump 1.99 meters. He also ran fast, with times of 11.53 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.67 seconds in the 200 meters.
College Football Career
Dexter McCluster played college football for the University of Mississippi.
Starting at Ole Miss
As a freshman in 2006, Dexter started five games. He caught 15 passes for 232 yards and scored two touchdowns. In 2007, his sophomore year, he played in eight games. He gained 326 yards from catches and scored two more touchdowns.
Becoming a Star Player
In 2008, as a junior, Dexter really shined. He was named to the second-team All-SEC (Southeastern Conference). He ran for 655 yards and caught passes for 625 yards, scoring seven touchdowns in total.
His senior year in 2009 was his best. He set two school records in one game against Tennessee. He ran for 282 yards and gained 324 all-purpose yards (running, receiving, and returns). In his last home game, he ran for 148 yards and even threw a touchdown pass! He finished his senior year with 1,169 rushing yards and 520 receiving yards. He scored 12 touchdowns. Dexter became the only player in SEC history to run for over 1,000 yards and catch passes for over 500 yards in a single season. He ended his college career with 3,685 total yards and 23 touchdowns.
College Statistics
Here are Dexter McCluster's college football statistics:
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2006 | Ole Miss | 6 | 8 | 68 | 8.5 | 1 | 15 | 232 | 15.5 | 1 |
| 2007 | Ole Miss | 8 | 6 | 63 | 10.5 | 0 | 27 | 326 | 12.1 | 2 |
| 2008 | Ole Miss | 13 | 109 | 655 | 6.0 | 6 | 44 | 625 | 14.2 | 1 |
| 2009 | Ole Miss | 13 | 181 | 1,169 | 6.5 | 8 | 44 | 520 | 11.8 | 3 |
| Career | 40 | 304 | 1,955 | 6.4 | 15 | 130 | 1,703 | 13.1 | 7 | |
Professional Football Career
Dexter McCluster was a highly-rated player coming out of college. Experts thought he would be picked early in the 2010 NFL draft.
NFL Draft and Early Success
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 8+3⁄4 in (1.75 m) |
172 lb (78 kg) |
29+1⁄4 in (0.74 m) |
8+3⁄8 in (0.21 m) |
4.58 s | 1.61 s | 2.75 s | 4.06 s | 6.73 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
20 reps | 18 |
| All values from NFL Combine/3-cone from Pro Day. | ||||||||||||
The Kansas City Chiefs picked Dexter McCluster as the 36th overall player in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the Chiefs.
Dexter made an immediate impact in his very first NFL game on September 13, 2010. He scored his first NFL touchdown by returning a punt 94 yards! This was the longest punt return touchdown in Chiefs history for many years. He also became the youngest Chiefs player ever to score a touchdown at 21 years and 19 days old.
Just 13 days later, Dexter caught a 31-yard pass for his first offensive touchdown. He continued to score for the Chiefs. On January 1, 2012, he scored his first NFL rushing touchdown with a 21-yard run. This touchdown was the only one in the game, helping the Chiefs win 7-3.
Moving to Other Teams
After his time with the Chiefs, Dexter McCluster signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 11, 2014. He played for the Titans for two seasons.
In 2016, he joined the San Diego Chargers. However, his time there was cut short due to a fractured forearm injury.
Playing in Other Leagues
On July 16, 2018, Dexter signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in four games for them, showing his skills in rushing, receiving, and returning kicks. He was released by the Argonauts in May 2019.
Later in 2019, Dexter signed with the Massachusetts Pirates in the National Arena League (NAL). He played in 6 games, catching 19 passes for 159 yards and scoring 2 receiving touchdowns.
