Alton "Dee" McCann (born April 24, 1983) 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 ...

. He was selected by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

in the sixth round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

. 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

West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The Mountaineers have been a membe ...

. McCann was also a member of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

and

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

Early life

McCann attended Greene County High School in

Leakesville, Mississippi Leakesville is a town in and the county seat of Greene County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Chickasawhay River in Greene County, Mississippi, United States. It is served by the junction of Mississippi routes 57 and 63. ...

and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, he was an All-District selection as a running back.

College career

Before attending

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

, he attended Jones County Junior College in

Ellisville, Mississippi Ellisville is a town in and the first county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,448 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 3,465 at the 2000 census. The Jones County Courthouse is located here, as is much of ...

. McCann tallied up 72 tackles, five sacks, and three interceptions in 2003 at Jones, where he earned all-state and all-JUCO honors. McCann transferred to WVU in 2004, where he played cornerback throughout the season with

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Pacman Jones. McCann only recorded 21 tackles for the season, but saw his first significant action against

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, where he recorded two tackles against the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing Virginia Tech in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, b ...

. With Pacman Jones out due to injury against

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

, McCann started. Against the Scarlet Knights, McCann recorded an interception, fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, and eight tackles. In the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televise ...

against the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...

, McCann grabbed two interceptions and recorded six tackles. In his senior year of 2005, McCann finally took starting positions with Pacman Jones leaving for the pro draft. McCann ended the season ranked third on the Mountaineers with 64 tackles, two interceptions, and five pass break-ups. Along with safeties Mike Lorello and Jahmile Addae, McCann and the Mountaineers posted an 11–1 record after the 2006 Sugar Bowl win against the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. McCann had an important fumble recovery in the first quarter of the 38–35 win.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Dee McCann was selected 179th overall in the sixth round by the

. McCann stayed on their roster until September 2, 2006, when he was released to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

Minnesota Vikings

In the 2007

preseason, against 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 ...

, McCann record his first stats of his pre-season career: two tackles. On January 6, 2008, following the end of the regular season, McCann was signed to a contract from the

, but was soon released afterwards.

Calgary Stampeders

McCann signed with the

on May 12, 2009. He was released on June 23, 2009.

References

External links

Calgary Stampeders bioDetroit Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCann, Dee 1983 births Living people People from Lucedale, Mississippi American football cornerbacks Canadian football defensive backs Jones County Bobcats football players West Virginia Mountaineers football players Detroit Lions players Minnesota Vikings players Calgary Stampeders players Players of Canadian football from Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi