Chris McAlister

Not to be confused with Chris McAlister (hurdler), Chris McAllister (American football), or Chris McAllister.

Chris McAlister
No. 28, 21, 29
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1977-06-14) June 14, 1977 (age 47)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Pasadena
College:
NFL draft:1999 / round: 1 / pick: 10
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:431
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:6
Pass deflections:137
Interceptions:26
Defensive touchdowns:7
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Christopher James McAlister (born June 14, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft, and played for the Ravens for 10 seasons before playing his final season with the New Orleans Saints.

Early life

McAlister was born in Pasadena, California, and attended Pasadena High School.[1] As a high school football quarterback, he threw for 1,153 yards and rushed for 1,302 yards and also returned three punts and two interceptions for touchdowns. He won the conference player of the year and California's Most Valuable Player award in his senior year. McAlister also played basketball and, under Coach Bill Duwe, won the CIF championship in 1995. He also lettered in track. Pasadena High School retired his football jersey No. 9 in 2001.

College career

McAlister originally committed to UCLA, where his father James was a star running back in the 1972–73 seasons. McAllister went to Mt. San Antonio College before transferring to the University of Arizona and playing for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 1996 to 1998. He had an illustrious career at Arizona where he won unanimous All-America first-team honors and was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection for 3 straight seasons. He is only the 7th player in college football history (1st in Arizona history) to return a kickoff, punt and interception for touchdowns in the same season.[2] His 18 interceptions at the end of his Arizona career ranked 3rd on the school's career-record chart behind Chuck Cecil and Jackie Wallace.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		205 lb
(93 kg) 		30+1⁄4 in
(0.77 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.53 s 1.58 s 2.66 s 4.08 s 6.90 s 38.0 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
All values from 1999 NFL Combine[3][4]
Chris McAlister leaps to grap an interception while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens selected Chris McAlister in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft, as the tenth overall pick.[5]

McAlister had a solid rookie season in which he recorded 47 tackles (45 solo), 5 interceptions, and 16 passes deflected. He made his NFL debut at the St. Louis Rams on September 12, 1999. At season's end, he was named to College & Pro Football Newsweekly's 1999 All-Rookie Team. McAlister had another solid season in 2000 as the Ravens won the Super Bowl and he had a key interception in Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants. During the regular season, he also intercepted New York Jets and former Baltimore Ravens QB Vinny Testaverde and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown.

McAlister set an NFL record for the longest play when he returned a missed field goal 107 yards for a touchdown during Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos on September 30, 2002. This record was later broken by Nathan Vasher on a 108-yard field goal return, tied by Devin Hester and eventually broken again by Antonio Cromartie on a 109-yard field goal return in 2007.

McAlister earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2003. He had 43 tackles. McAlister also intercepted three passes for 93 yards. That included an 83-yard run for a score.

In 2004, McAlister signed a 7-year, $55 million contract.

McAlister (21) playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008.

McAlister had arguably the best season of his career in 2006. He had two touchdowns that year and made his third Pro Bowl. But his last two seasons in Baltimore were marked by injuries and inconsistent play. In 2008, in 5 starts before being put on Injured Reserve, he did however amass 16 tackles, 3 INTs and 1 fumble recovery, showing some of his old form.

Chris McAlister had his contract terminated by the Baltimore Ravens on February 16, 2009.[6]

New Orleans Saints

On November 17, 2009, McAlister signed with the New Orleans Saints.[7] In a December 6 game at the Washington Redskins, McAlister forced a fumble in overtime, which started the drive resulting in a game-winning field goal for New Orleans. However, he was released on December 8, just two months before the Saints would go on to win Super Bowl XLIV. McAlister finished 2009 with 4 tackles and the forced fumble.[8]

NFL statistics

Regular season

Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
Comb Solo Ast Sack FF FR Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
1999 BAL 16 47 45 2 0.0 0 0 5 28 5.6 21 0 21
2000 BAL 16 41 35 6 0.0 0 1 4 165 41.3 98 1 14
2001 BAL 16 71 63 8 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 10
2002 BAL 13 53 48 5 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 18
2003 BAL 15 43 33 10 0.0 0 0 3 93 31.0 83 1 14
2004 BAL 15 42 38 4 0.0 0 1 1 51 51.0 51 1 9
2005 BAL 14 48 46 2 0.0 1 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 13
2006 BAL 16 47 43 4 0.0 0 2 6 121 20.2 60 2 22
2007 BAL 8 19 17 2 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 9
2008 BAL 6 16 13 3 0.0 0 1 3 28 9.3 16 0 7
2009 NO 2 4 4 0 0.0 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Career[9] 137 431 385 46 0.0 2 6 26 486 18.7 98 5 137

Postseason

Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
Comb Solo Ast Sack FF FR Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2000 BAL 4 16 13 3 0.0 0 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 7
2001 BAL 2 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 1 18 18.0 18 0 4
2003 BAL 1 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 2
2006 BAL 1 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
Career 8 28 22 6 0.0 0 0 3 22 7.3 18 0 14

Personal life

Chris McAlister's father, James McAlister, also played in the NFL for three seasons for the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles during the 1970s. McAlister is divorced and has one daughter.[10] McAlister was married for three months.

References

  1. ^ Hodges, Jim. "Would-Be Bruin Declares War on Westwood" Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1997
  2. ^ One of the scoring kick returns was on a win against UCLA. Ravens bio Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "1999 Draft Scout Chris McAlister, Arizona NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
  4. ^ "Chris McAlister, Combine Results, CB - Arizona". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. ^ ""Ravens Release McAlister," BaltimoreRavens.com, Monday. February 16, 2009". Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  7. ^ Saints add depth with veteran CB McAllister
  8. ^ "Saints cut DB McAlister, place LB Dunbar on IR" Archived December 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, WVUE-DT, December 8, 2009 (retrieved December 9, 2009)
  9. ^ "Chris McAlister Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  10. ^ The book on … Chris McAlister, Sporting News, November 23, 1998.

Media related to Chris McAlister at Wikimedia Commons