Lamar University Athletics

The two years that fleet Jimmy McNeil roamed the gridiron for the Cardinals were the most successful back-to-back seasons ever in Lamar University football history.

With McNeil starring on offense and defense, Lamar won 18 games, played in three bowl games and shared a conference championship in what was possibly the nation’s best junior college conference in that era.

McNeil was sensational in 1949 when he scored 108 points, rushed for 1,266 yards and passed for 629 yards as the Cardinals posted a 10-2 record and came within one game of gaining a berth in the Junior College Rose Bowl. An all-conference performer in 1949, McNeil was at his best in the big games. He scored both touchdowns in a historic 14-7 win over Kilgore College, and his big plays on both offense and defense led to a 28-7 victory over league-leading Tyler Junior College in 1948.

McNeil spent 23 years in the coaching profession, including 10 seasons as head football coach at Pasadena Rayburn High School. He served 15 years as assistant principal at Pasadena Dobie High School and was awarded the school’s highest honor, The Trail Blazer Award, for his contributions.