TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Pellom McDaniels III, Ph.D. 1968–2020 Retired NFL Player, Professor, Museum Curator, Author
By Aaron Williams
P ellom McDaniels III was player. Prior to a career in academia, McDaniels played in the National Foot- ball League mostly with the Kansas City Chiefs. He made a successful career transition from the gridiron to teaching and chronicling African-American his- tory and culture. In 2015, McDaniels was honored with the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award, which honors for- mer student-athletes for their accom- plishments 25 years after their collegiate careers end. Dr. Pellom McDaniels III described as a scholar, artist, historian, renaissance man, educator, and retired football (Iota Iota 1988) entered the Chapter Invisible on Sunday April 19, 2020 at his home in Decatur, GA. He was 52. The NFL Alumni® organization released the following statement, “It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Pellom McDan- iels of the Kansas City Chiefs. We ex- tend our heartfelt sympathy and prayers to Pellom’s family and teammates. He will truly be missed.” The Rose Library at Emory University where McDaniels worked, “The depth of our sorrow and grief at Pellom’s pass- ing is matched only by our boundless appreciation and admiration for the tre- mendous gifts and contributions Pellom brought to his life’s work to elevate and celebrate African American history. The
Rose Library and the world have lost a giant of a scholar and friend. Pellom’s vision is well established and will con- tinue to guide the future of the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.” Born on February 21, 1968 in San Jose, CA, McDaniels was raised by his grand- parents. In an interview with NFL Play- ers Association, McDaniels commented about his early goals in life. “I wanted to be a professional football player, I wanted to be a prolific discus thrower and I wanted to be a college professor. Education has always been a part of who I’ve been while I was developing.” He attended Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, OR on a football scholarship, graduating in 1989. Mc- Daniels twice earned all-Pac-10 honors while playing for the OSU Beavers and was team co-captain his senior year. McDaniels was not drafted in the 1990 NFL Draft and signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles but did not make the team due to injury. He sub- sequently played for two seasons for the Birmingham Fire in the World League of American Football. He finally got the opportunity to play in the NFL when he signed in 1993 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played six seasons for the Chiefs and one season with the Atlanta Falcons prior to retiring in 1999.
While playing for the Chiefs, he and his wife established two charities, the Arts for Smarts Foundation and the Fish Out of Water Writing Club. Arts for Smarts was an after-school program for disadvantaged children of all ages that focused on art and other learning activities. As a result of his community activities and philanthropy, the Chiefs franchise nominated him for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. In retirement, McDaniels, similar to many recently retired professional ath- letes, considered entering the broadcast- ing industry. He hosted a talk show on cable TV in Kansas City and also served as color analyst on area high school foot- ball games. His post-pro football plans were forever altered when he met famed scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at a event at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He met Emory University professor Dr. Rudolph Byrd who recommended McDaniels to pursue an advanced de- gree at Emory. He entered the Graduate Institute for the Liberal Arts at Emory University, where he received both a M.A. degree in 2006 and a Ph.D degree in American Studies in 2007. He began his academic career as an assistant professor of history at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. In 2012, he returned to Emory University where later that year he was named the Curator of African American Collections
108 | SUMMER-FALL 2020 ♦ THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 105 years
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