Early years

McSwain attended Chase High School in North Carolina, where he was an All-American fullback and played linebacker on the defense. He also lettered in basketball and track. His number 35 was retired by the school.

He accepted a scholarship from Clemson University and became a starter as a freshman, in place of an injured Lester Brown. He finished with 443 rushing yards and was named the conference's rookie of the year. In his last two years, he would form with Cliff Austin a dynamic duo in the backfield.

McSwain had 692 rushing yards during the Tigers’ National Championship season in 1981 and his biggest game came against the University of South Carolina, when he rushed for a career-high 151 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in the team's 29-13 victory to cap an 11-0 record. During the season he registered 692 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. As a senior he posted 641 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 2,320 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

McSwain was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft. In his first career pre-season appearance, he had a game to remember against the Miami Dolphins, scoring 2 touchdowns in less than 2 minutes (including a 37-yard touchdown run). After the first regular season game, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a torn tendon in his right ring finger and was replaced with Gary Allen. The next year he posted 20 kickoff returns for 403 yards. He was waived before the start of the 1985 season.

Los Angeles Raiders

In 1986, he signed with the Los Angeles Raiders as a free agent and was cut on July 28.

New England Patriots

After the players went on a strike on the third week of the 1987 season, those games were canceled (reducing the 16 game season to 15) and the NFL decided that the games would be played with replacement players. McSwain was signed to be a part of the New England Patriots replacement team. He was a backup player and registered 23 rushing yards, before being released at the end of the strike.

Personal life

McSwain works as an athletic director and track coach at Chase High School in North Carolina. He was born into a family of 13 children. His brother Rod McSwain also played in the NFL.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]