Brian McClure (born December 28, 1963) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
for the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Bowling Green Falcons
The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Divi ...
.
College career
McClure played for the Falcons from 1982 to 1985, where he set numerous offensive records. His 900 completions and 10,280 yards passing are both school records. He also threw 63 touchdowns which was the school record until
Omar Jacobs
Omar T. Jacobs (born March 3, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played college football at Bowling Green and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Jacobs was also a memb ...
threw 71 from 2003 to 2005. In 1985, he led the Falcons to an undefeated regular season, but lost to
Fresno State
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...
in the
California Raisin Bowl.
*1982: 113/176 for 1,391 yards with 8 TD vs 13 INT.
*1983: 298/466 for 3,264 yards with 16 TD vs 16 INT.
*1984: 263/414 for 2,951 yards with 21 TD vs 13 INT.
*1985: 226/371 for 2,674 yards with 18 TD vs 16 INT.
Statistics
NFL replacement player
McClure was drafted in the 12th round of the
1986 NFL draft
The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott M ...
by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
. The arrival of
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers o ...
from the
United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
pushed him to fourth string on the team's depth chart (behind Kelly,
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former player who is the interim head coach at Stanford University. He played 14 seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He became a coac ...
and
Art Schlichter
Arthur Ernest Schlichter (, born April 25, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the Baltimore / Indianapolis Colts franchise. He also played one Ca ...
), and he was cut along with Schlichter prior to the start of the regular season after injuring his hand in the final preseason game. He was again cut by the Bills in training camp in 1987, but a got a chance to play after all when Buffalo signed him as a replacement player during that year's
players strike.
After two weeks of replacement games (both losses, in which Buffalo scored a total of 13 points) and mediocre performances by quarterbacks Dan Manucci and Willie Totten, the Bills named McClure their starting quarterback for the October 18 contest against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
in Buffalo. McClure's task would be extra difficult, as future Hall of Famer
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New York Giants. He is almost universally regard ...
crossed the picket line to re-join the Giants; he would get two sacks and numerous hits on the replacement QB. The game turned out to be a defensive struggle: neither team scored until New York kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter. McClure was not helping much, throwing three interceptions. Late in the game, though, Buffalo drove down to the Giants 14, then
Todd Schlopy kicked a field goal to tie it and force overtime. In the OT, McClure again drove the Bills down the field, this time to the 10-yard-line; Schlopy won the game with another field goal.
The quarterback would be placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
the following week—after four days spent primarily in the whirlpool—with what he called "total body-ache". He was one of the few replacement players not cut immediately when the strike was over.
Among players who appeared in only one NFL game, McClure's 20 completions, 38 attempts and 181 passing yards remain all-time records.
After football
Brian McClure would move back to Cleveland with his wife, get a job in the public works department, coach youth football and start a family. His older son, Kade, was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB draft by the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
after three years with the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...
where he compiled a 21–5 record. Kade McClure has pitched seven seasons in the minors as of 2024; he is currently with the Class AA
Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...
in the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
system.
Honors
*
MAC
Mac or MAC may refer to:
Common meanings
* Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc.
* Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth
* Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages
* McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...
Freshman of the Year 1982
* MAC Offensive Player of the Year 1983,1984,1985
* MAC Most Valuable Player 1984,1985
*
Sammy Baugh Trophy
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More ...
1985
* Inducted in the Bowling Green Hall of Fame in 1991
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, Brian
1963 births
Living people
People from Ravenna, Ohio
Players of American football from Portage County, Ohio
American football quarterbacks
Bowling Green Falcons football players
Buffalo Bills players
NFL replacement players