Tweet
Mack Herron, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back who went on to set a single-season National Football League record for all-purpose yards, but whose playing career and later life was disrupted by drug use, died Saturday living on the same Chicago streets where he grew up and was still "a neighbourhood legend" for his athletic accomplishments.
He was 67.
His death, believed to be connected to diabetes, was confirmed Sunday by his sister, Barbara.
Nicknamed "Mini Mac" for his diminutive stature but powerful running, the 5-51/2, 180-pound Herron joined the Canadian Football League’s Bombers in 1971 after the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons drafted him 143rd overall out of Kansas State, where in his senior year he had been runner-up in college scoring.
With the Bombers, Herron was a sensation on the field and a fan favourite. He led the league in all-purpose yards in both of his CFL seasons, before he signed with the New England Patriots in 1973, where, in 1974 as a kick-return specialist, he set the then NFL 14-game record with 2,444 all-purpose yards.
But Herron only became available to New England because of what would become a long-running battle with drugs. In May 1973, Winnipeg police raided his East Kildonan apartment, tackling Herron before he could toss the evidence off his balcony. It was a miniscule amount of marijuana, but police said they also found traces of cocaine. More...
He was 67.
His death, believed to be connected to diabetes, was confirmed Sunday by his sister, Barbara.
Nicknamed "Mini Mac" for his diminutive stature but powerful running, the 5-51/2, 180-pound Herron joined the Canadian Football League’s Bombers in 1971 after the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons drafted him 143rd overall out of Kansas State, where in his senior year he had been runner-up in college scoring.
With the Bombers, Herron was a sensation on the field and a fan favourite. He led the league in all-purpose yards in both of his CFL seasons, before he signed with the New England Patriots in 1973, where, in 1974 as a kick-return specialist, he set the then NFL 14-game record with 2,444 all-purpose yards.
But Herron only became available to New England because of what would become a long-running battle with drugs. In May 1973, Winnipeg police raided his East Kildonan apartment, tackling Herron before he could toss the evidence off his balcony. It was a miniscule amount of marijuana, but police said they also found traces of cocaine. More...
