Mayes McLain facts for kids
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McLain from The Hawkeye (1930)
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| Born: | April 16, 1905 Pryor, Oklahoma |
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| Died: | March 6, 1983 (age 77) Marietta, Georgia |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| College | Haskell, Iowa |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Honors | All-American, 1928 38 touchdowns in 1926 was college football record until 1988 |
Mayes Watt McLain (born April 16, 1905 – died March 6, 1983) was a famous American athlete. He was known for playing American football and later became a professional wrestler. McLain played college football for the Haskell Institute and the University of Iowa. In 1926, he set a college football record by scoring 253 points, including 38 touchdowns. This record for touchdowns lasted for over 60 years!
After college, McLain played in the National Football League (NFL) as "Chief McLain." He played for the Portsmouth Spartans and Staten Island Stapletons. When he stopped playing football, he became a professional wrestler, sometimes called the "Masked Manager." He wrestled from 1933 to 1953.
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Early Life
Mayes McLain was born in Pryor, Oklahoma, in 1905. He was the youngest of six children. His parents had Cherokee and Scotch-Irish backgrounds. They were born in Texas and got married in Pryor. When Mayes was one year old, he was officially registered as "Cherokee by Blood." This means he was part of the Cherokee Nation. His father, Pleas L. McLain, was a farmer.
Football Career
Playing for Haskell
McLain went to the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. This college was created for Native American students from different tribes. He played football for the Haskell Indians in 1925 and 1926.
In the 1926 season, McLain became a college football legend. He scored an amazing 253 points. This included 38 touchdowns, 19 extra point kicks, and two field goals. McLain was known as a "triple-threat" player. This means he was great at running, passing, and kicking the ball. He also played well on defense.
McLain started the 1926 season with two touchdowns in a big win. The next week, he scored eight touchdowns and seven extra points! People were amazed by his skills. One newspaper said he put on "the most astonishing exhibition of football ever seen." He scored six touchdowns in another game, showing off his "broken field running" and "vicious tackling."
Later that season, Haskell played the undefeated Dayton Triangles professional team. Haskell won, with McLain rushing for four touchdowns and kicking a field goal. He was described as a "modern Goliath of strength" who was almost impossible to stop. McLain finished the season as the top scorer in college football. His 38 touchdowns set a new record that stood for over 60 years!
Playing for Iowa
After Haskell, McLain went to the University of Iowa. He played for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team in 1928. Before he arrived, the team had not done very well. But with McLain, the Hawkeyes improved a lot, winning six out of eight games in 1928. Many people believed McLain was the reason for their success.
Newspapers were very excited about him. One story called him the "Big Hope of Hawkeye Gridders." They said fans were ready to call him an All-American before he even played in a major conference game. He was described as a "fair haired young giant" who was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. He was known for crashing through the line like a powerful force.
When Iowa played in Chicago, The New York Times wrote about the huge interest in McLain. They said he was as popular as Red Grange, another famous football player. McLain helped Iowa beat the Chicago Maroons by running for 100 yards. He also scored both touchdowns in a 14-7 win over Ohio State.
However, a committee later decided that McLain could not play another year for Iowa. This was because his two years at Haskell counted towards the three years of eligibility allowed by the Big Ten rules. There were also some questions about how he was paid for a job while at Iowa. The rules said athletes could not be paid unfairly. McLain was paid for a "real estate census," but it was found that he didn't do much work for it. Because of this, he couldn't play more college football.
Professional Football Career
In 1930, McLain began playing professional football in the National Football League (NFL). He signed with the Portsmouth Spartans, who later became the Detroit Lions. During the 1930 NFL season, McLain, often called "Chief McLain," scored four rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns. He was one of the top scorers for the Spartans that year.
In 1931, McLain played one game for Portsmouth. He also played for the Staten Island Stapletons. He played in nine games for the Stapletons and was their second-highest scorer. McLain also played for the St. Louis Gunners at the end of 1931. He scored all the points in a 10-0 victory for the Gunners in one game.
Professional Wrestling Career
After his football career, McLain became a professional wrestler. He wrestled from 1933 to 1942. He took a break during World War II, then returned to wrestling from 1947 to 1953.
As a wrestler, he was a big attraction in famous places like Madison Square Garden in New York and the Boston Garden. He wrestled against many well-known wrestlers of his time. In September 1938, McLain won the world heavyweight champion title in Toronto. He held this title for six weeks. He was honored for his wrestling career by being inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1983.
Mayes McLain also worked as a stunt man in movies. He appeared as a wrestler in the 1936 film, Magnificent Brute.
Later Life
Mayes McLain passed away in 1983 at the age of 77 in Marietta, Georgia. In 1987, he was honored again. He was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in Lawrence, Kansas.
