Freeman McNeil

Freeman McNeil (born April 22, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was selected by the Jets in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft with the third overall pick.

Early life

McNeil was born in Jackson, Mississippi. His family later relocated to Los Angeles, California.

McNeil led Banning High School to the 1976 Los Angeles City 4-A football title. At Template:Cvt, Template:Cvt he attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a running back, where he was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection. In his final game, he caught a deflected pass from quarterback Jay Schroeder that was tipped by USC defensive back Jeff Fisher and went 57 yards for the winning touchdown with two minutes left in the Bruins' 20–17 win.

In four seasons at UCLA, McNeil rushed for 3,195 yards and 21 touchdowns, with an average of more than 5 yards per carry.

Professional career

McNeil played in 12 NFL seasons for the New York Jets from 1981 to 1992. During the mid to late 1980s he was a member of the Jets' "Two Headed Monster" backfield along with teammate Johnny Hector, a tandem that ranked among the league's elite. When he retired he was the Jets all-time leading rusher with 8,074 yards; he was surpassed by Curtis Martin and currently ranks second in Jets team history. In 1982, McNeil led the NFL in rushing with 786 yards. He was the first Jet to the lead the league in rushing. He is one of a few running backs in NFL history to average at least 4.0 yards per carry in every season he played.

From 1990 to 1992 McNeil was the lead plaintiff in a case won by jury verdict that struck down the NFL's Plan B free agency system, under which teams could protect 37 players. McNeil and the seven other plaintiffs were among the protected players listed by their teams. The system was deemed too restrictive and a violation of antitrust laws. However, Freeman was not one of the four plaintiffs awarded damages. The suit is considered a major step in the achievement of free agency rights by the NFL Players Association.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Year	Team	Games		Rushing						Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Y/G	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	FR
1981	NYJ	11	6	137	623	4.5	56.6	43	2	18	171	9.5	18	1	5	0
1982	NYJ	9	9	151	786	5.2	87.3	48	6	16	187	11.7	32	1	7	0
1983	NYJ	9	9	160	654	4.1	72.7	19	1	21	172	8.2	21	3	4	1
1984	NYJ	12	12	229	1,070	4.7	89.2	53	5	25	294	11.8	32	1	4	1
1985	NYJ	14	13	294	1,331	4.5	95.1	69	3	38	427	11.2	25	2	9	0
1986	NYJ	12	11	214	856	4.0	71.3	40	5	49	410	8.4	26	1	8	0
1987	NYJ	9	8	121	530	4.4	58.9	30	0	24	262	10.9	57	1	1	0
1988	NYJ	16	16	219	944	4.3	59.0	28	6	34	288	8.5	25	1	3	0
1989	NYJ	11	7	80	352	4.4	32.0	19	2	31	310	10.0	25	1	1	0
1990	NYJ	16	4	99	458	4.6	28.6	29	6	16	230	14.4	59	0	1	0
1991	NYJ	13	1	51	300	5.9	23.1	58	2	7	56	8.0	13	0	1	1
1992	NYJ	12	1	43	170	4.0	14.2	18	0	16	154	9.6	32	0	1	1
Career		144	97	1,798	8,074	4.5	56.1	69	38	295	2,961	10.0	59	12	45	4

Honors and awards

In 2005, McNeil was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.