No. 34, 41 | |||
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Position: | Running back | ||
Personal information | |||
Date of birth: | October 6, 1963 | ||
Place of birth: | Jefferson City, Missouri | ||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
College: | Navy | ||
NFL Draft: | 1986 / Round: 4 / Pick: 108 | ||
Career history | |||
Career NFL statistics | |||
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Player stats at PFR | |||
Player stats at NFL.com |
Napoleon Ardel McCallum (born October 6, 1963) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. McCallum played college football for the U.S. Naval Academy, and then played professionally for the Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
McCallum was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. The son of two teachers, he grew up in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio before the family moved to the suburb of Milford, Ohio. He attended Milford High School. As a senior for the Eagles, McCallum played both running back and defensive back. As a senior, he rushed for 1,625 yards, scored 17 touchdowns and intercepted 12 passes. He was named third-team All-Ohio defensive back, all-Southwest Ohio and all-city.
McCallum had offers to play for major football powers including Syracuse, Tennessee and North Carolina State, but they all wanted him as a defensive back and not as a running back. He committed to attend the U.S. Naval Academy where he played football and was the star tailback, punt returner and kick returner. In the second game of his senior year, he suffered a season-ending injury to his ankle. McCallum was granted an additional season eligibility by the NCAA and the Naval Academy.
During his time at Navy, he was a two-time consensus All-American and set an NCAA record with 7,172 career all-purpose yards. He was also the career rushing leader at Navy with 4,179 yards until that record was broken by Keenan Reynolds in 2015. He was a member of the Navy Midshipmen football team that played in the Army-Navy game at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California in 1983. He scored two touchdowns in Navy's 48-13 victory.