Former Bears receiver Bill McColl dies at 93
Former Bears receiver Bill McColl died Thursday, the National Football Foundation announced. At 93, McColl was the third-oldest living College Football Hall of Fame member, according to a statement by the organization.
He twice made All-America honors as a two-way player at Stanford and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1951.
“Bill McColl was a phenomenal player and an even more special human being,” National Football Foundation CEO Steve Hatchell said in a statement. “He used the gridiron to create educational opportunities for himself and his family, and he impacted countless people during his subsequent medical career. He remained a staunch supporter of the NFF and our San Diego Chapter, and we are extremely grateful for him embodying everything right with the game of football. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time of loss.”
The Bears made McColl a third-round pick in 1952, and he played eight seasons for the team. According to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle from 2019, George Halas changed the team’s practices from the afternoon to the morning to allow McColl to attend medical school at the University of Chicago.
In his career, McColl totaled 201 receptions for 2,815 yards and 25 touchdowns. The yards and catches remain top 25 on the career list in the 104-season history of the Bears, and his receiving touchdowns are tied for 10th.
He retired from football to pursue a two-year Presbyterian mission at a leprosy hospital in Korea.
McColl went on to a decorated career as an orthopedic surgeon, and he also ran three times as a Republican candidate from California for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
All six of McColl's children attended Stanford, and his sons Duncan and Milt both played football for the Cardinal.
