First Black Football Player Lester McClain

1968

First Black Football Player Lester McClain

1968

First Black Football Player Lester McClain

Sophomore wingback Lester McClain took the field at Neyland Stadium as the Vols’ first Black football player on September 14, 1968. In the game against the Georgia Bulldogs, his fourth-down reception helped the Vols come from behind and finish in a 17-17 tie. McClain played three years for the Vols, totaling 70 receptions for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding two rushing scores. He was part of the 1969 SEC Championship squad and played in the Cotton Bowl, the Gator Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl. McClain is in the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, and the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame.