Gerald McNeil
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Frankfurt, Germany
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| Positions | Wide receiver, return specialist | ||||||||||||
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| Born | March 27, 1962 Frankfurt, Germany | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 145 lb (66 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Killeen (Killeen, Texas) | ||||||||||||
| College | Baylor | ||||||||||||
| Supplemental draft | 1984: 2nd round, 44th overall pick | ||||||||||||
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Gerald Lynn McNeil (born March 27, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Oilers. He also played in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons with the Houston Gamblers.
McNeil played college football for the Baylor Bears, earning first-team All-American honors in 1983. The lightest player in the NFL, McNeil was nicknamed "the Ice Cube" because he was small and difficult for tacklers to grab hold of. It was also a play off Bears defensive tackle William Perry’s nickname, “The Refrigerator”. McNeil was drafted in the 1984 NFL supplemental draft and selected to the Pro Bowl in 1987. Known for his explosive returning ability, McNeil scored four touchdowns in his NFL career, including an 84-yard punt return against the Detroit Lions and a 100-yard kickoff return against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[1]
McNeil was born in West Germany,[2] where his father was serving in the U.S. Army.[3] He attended Killeen High School in Killeen, Texas.
McNeil played college football at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, from 1980 to 1983. He earned All-American honors as a wide receiver.[4] One of his teammates was future Houston Oilers quarterback Cody Carlson.[5] McNeil's brother, Pat, also played football at Baylor.[6]
In his four seasons at Baylor, McNeil caught 163 passes for 2,651 yards, returned 101 punts for 886 yards, returned 31 kickoffs for 573 yards, and scored 17 touchdowns.[7] He set school records for receptions and receiving yards which still stand among the top ten all-time to the present day.[4][8]