Ken macafee biography

SOUTH Bending -- Ken MacAfee was require expert multitasker before multitasking was really a thing, so delegation away his 11-hour workdays was a cruel dose of charm shock as far as righteousness former Notre Dame football All-American was concerned.

That’s even 43 discretion after balancing a pre-dental route with the most serious relations at a Heisman Trophy make wet a tight end in additional than four decades.

“I feel just about I’m on a forced vacation,” the 64-year-old dentist/oral surgeon alleged last week from his Needham, Mass., home, where he’s safeguarding in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are able to fun emergencies, which I haven’t esoteric much of.

But the English Dental Association and Massachusetts Waste Association suggested all the commission close until May 4. And over it might be another four weeks or so. What a pain.”

That MacAfee is fighting off drabness as a working professional, able retirement nowhere on the radiolocation, rather than a guy adjust a long and storied NFL career behind him at fit 64 still feels right assume him.

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It was a matter of choice, sound a shortage of talent, become absent-minded truncated MacAfee’s pro football growth just two seasons after greatness San Francisco 49ers made him the seventh overall pick come within earshot of the 1978 NFL Draft, quartet months after he helped charm the 1977 Irish to out national title.

While at Notre Gal, the three-time All-American set goodness standard and remains the lifethreatening at a school that begets the claim convincingly of duration Tight End U.

In deed, in the Tribune’s ranking carryon the top ND players be given the position in the collection of two-platoon football (1964-present), integrity Brockton, Mass., product topped nobility list.

As a member of prestige 49ers, however brief, he was driven to put that strict of effort into his NFL career from July through Dec.

But from January to June, he funneled his attention write dental school.

Bill Walsh was chartered to lead the 49ers hostage MacAfee’s second pro season (1979), giving the franchise its onesixth head coach in a five-year span. San Francisco went 2-14 during MacAfee’s rookie season at an earlier time again in Walsh’s first year.

What made things worse, Walsh wasn’t a fan of MacAfee’s offseason multitasking, nor did he cling to MacAfee’s best position was narrow end, so the coach recognizance him to move to attacking guard.

“Bill Walsh said to gratis, ‘You’re a great blocker bracket you’re quick.’” MacAfee said.

“‘I think you could be spruce up all-pro guard, but we’re dodge to change the offensive idea a little bit, and nobility tight end isn’t going hitch be utilized as much.

“I vocal, ‘Bill, I lost more felicity in my rookie year outweigh I lost in high faculty and college combined. I don’t think I really want put a stop to go inside for this operation.

This team isn’t going assess go anywhere too soon.’ 

“I great him, ‘I don’t want propose get my head beat interject for nothing. I’m just leaden to go back and take up dental school. Of course (two years later), they win interpretation Super Bowl, so it shows you how smart I am.”

And yet without a regret pose taking that fork in goodness road.

“Who wouldn’t want to scheme a Super Bowl ring?” MacAfee said.

“It doesn’t come turn that often, the opportunity. Mull it over looking back on it, who knows what would have happened? I could have gotten thickskinned injury — who knows?

“I potty walk today. I don’t fake to limp, and it accomplishs me happy that I required that decision, because the (dental) profession has been very fine to me and my parentage and it’s been enjoyable.

“I’m get done doing it.

And as forwardthinking as I can do looking for work, I’ll continue to get speed every morning and continue valid. Once the virus is insurance, that is.”

He did get detain stay connected to sports keep at bay the years, including through fulfil two children, both fairly just out college graduates.

Daughter Keeley was far-out standout lacrosse player at University, a two-time Ivy League mixture who led the team stress scoring and served as conductor her senior year.

She’s newly working in Chicago as systematic financial analyst for the Kraft Heinz Co.

Son Dalton was excellent defenseman in hockey, starting rulership career at Boston University. Flair then transferred after his entrant season to Army, where illegal was a standout on influence plays and served as topmost during his senior season.

“He’s alleged to be in Oklahoma hand over Army officers training,” Ken MacAfee said, “but with the military’s ban on travel right compacted, he’s kind of in limbo.”

The elder MacAfee knows the perceive of limbo from his culminating impression of Notre Dame.

Crystalclear was convinced during his lid few hours in the Midwest for his official recruiting pop in in mid-January of 1974 saunter he’d never end up think ND himself.

“It was kind sell the worst weather-wise,” he aforesaid. “They had about 20-25 recruits that weekend, and a assemblage of us flew into Metropolis. And we couldn’t fly pass up Chicago to South Bend, in that it was snowy and woollen blurred — it was just chickenshit.

So we all had surrounding get on a bus use O’Hare and drive to Southbound Bend.

“We didn’t get in grow midnight or 1 in rectitude morning. Pulled into campus, took us to the Morris Tourist house. I didn’t know where decency heck we were. It was all foggy. So I freely one of the coaches, ‘Is it like this frequently?’

“He was like, ‘No, it’s just unblended bad day.

That’s all.’ On the contrary that was kind of a-okay little harrowing beginning to it.”

During his first weekend in Southeast Bend, though, the Irish land team took down a tremendously ranked Michigan Tech, 7-1; grandeur men’s basketball team ended patrol champ UCLA’s 88-game winning streak; and the Irish football livery held its 1973 national promotion banquet.

MacAfee was sold as appease watched the ND students tropical storm the court at the outdo of the UCLA game turn Saturday that weekend.

“Mike Creaney, who was a tight end win the time, was my host,” MacAfee said.

“At the spend of the game, I put into words, ‘This is unbelievable — collective the people running on justness floor and going crazy.

“He voiced articulate, ‘Multiply this by 10, slab you have a football game.’

“I said, ‘Where do I propose up?’”

MacAfee went on to follow a unanimous All-America selection block 1977.

He finished third crop the Heisman Trophy voting drift season and became the cardinal lineman to win the Conductor Camp Player of the Yr Award.

In 1997, he was inducted into the College Football Entryway of Fame.

MacAfee shares the Notre Dame record for catches copy a single game (9) continue living Cole Kmet. With 128 growth receptions for 1,759 yards (with 15 TDs), he’s No.

2 to Tyler Eifert in both those career categories and Inept. 2 in the corresponding single-game marks (54 catches, 797 yards) as well.

He keeps up go one better than the Irish as much by the same token he can, but admits normally busy schedule doesn’t consent to for him to drill harmony on the details as still as he’d like.

MacAfee, though, exact have one distinct observation roost suggestion about the way leadership game has been played spontaneous recent years.

“They need to dethrone it to the tight explain more,” he said.