Central Bernard McClellion (born September 15, 1975) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who played in 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),

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL), and

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

. 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 ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Early life

Central Bernard McClellion was born on September 15, 1975, in

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020, was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census. Located in the Miami metropolitan area, De ...

. He played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Olympic Heights Community High School Olympic Heights Community High School is a public high school located at 20101 Lyons Road, known for, serving west Boca Raton, parts of Boynton Beach and parts of Delray Beach as part of the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. Aca ...

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...

and was a three-year starter at

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He had 11 interceptions as a junior. McClellion posted 82 total tackles and ten interceptions his senior year. He was also a two-year starter at wide receiver, catching six passes for 114 yards and one touchdown as a senior. Olympic Heights finished with a 10–1 record during both of McClellion's final two seasons. He also participated in track in high school.

College career

McClellion played

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 1994 and was a four-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

from 1995 to 1998. He played in 47 games, starting three, during his college career, recording 56 solo tackles, 29 assisted tackles, one fumble recovery, and one interception that he returned 60 yards for a touchdown. He first majored in business at Ohio State before switching to criminology.

Professional career

McClellion signed with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

on April 23, 1999, after going undrafted in the

1999 NFL draft The 1999 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 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

. During

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, McClellion was taped to a goalpost as part of a rookie hazing ritual. McClellion was cut by the Browns on August 30, 1998. In February 2000, McClellion was selected by the

Scottish Claymores The Scottish Claymores, were an American football team based in Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football (later renamed NFL Europe) between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, ...

in the third round of the 2000 NFL Europe draft. He played in five games for the Claymores during the

2000 NFL Europe season The 2000 NFL Europe season was the eighth season in 10 years of the American football league that started out as the World League of American Football. World Bowl 2000 World Bowl 2000 (also referred to as World Bowl VIII) was the eighth cha ...

, recording 11 tackles, one interception, and three pass breakups. He missed part of the year due to injury. The Claymores advanced to

World Bowl 2000 World Bowl 2000 (also referred to as World Bowl VIII) was the eighth championship game of the NFL Europe League. It was held at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany on June 25, 2000. The match-up was between the 6–4 Scottish Claymores and the 7� ...

but lost to the

Rhein Fire Rhein Fire may refer to either of two American football franchises: * Rhein Fire (NFL Europe) The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Düsseldorf, Germany ...

by a score of 13–10. McClellion signed with the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

of the

(CFL) on August 22, 2000. He dressed in 11 games for the Lions during the

2000 CFL season The 2000 CFL season is considered to be the 47th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 43rd Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 2000 The CFL ends the 20th century on a continued upward curve. After th ...

, totaling 35 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, five interceptions, and three pass breakups. On November 26, 2000, the Lions beat the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

in the

88th Grey Cup The 88th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 2000 in Calgary. The BC Lions won the game 28–26 over the Montreal Alouettes. The Lions, who finished 8–10 with an overtime loss during the regular season, became the firs ...

by a score of 28–26. McClellion had one tackle in the Grey Cup. He was released by the Lions on December 29, 2000. McClellion started all ten games for the Scottish Claymores during the 2001 season, recording 27 tackles, one interception, and six pass breakups as the team finished 4–6. McClellion was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

on July 5, 2001. He was released on September 3 but signed to the team's practice squad on September 6. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26 and played in six games for the Redskins during the 2001 season, posting 12 solo tackles and two assisted tackles. McClellion was released on December 11, 2001, and signed to the practice squad again the next day. McClellion became a free agent after the 2001 season and signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on January 30, 2002. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list on August 26, 2002, due to a knee injury and missed the rest of the season. He became a free agent after the 2002 season. On May 4, 2004, it was reported that he had signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the CFL. He was released on June 9, 2004.

Personal life

McClellion's son, Jarques McClellion, played college football at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClellion, Central 1975 births Living people American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Players of American football from Delray Beach, Florida Players of Canadian football from Florida American football cornerbacks Canadian football defensive backs Ohio State Buckeyes football players Cleveland Browns players Scottish Claymores players BC Lions players Washington Redskins players Kansas City Chiefs players Toronto Argonauts players American expatriate players of American football 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen