Napoleon McCallum

Napoleon Ardel McCallum (born on October 6, 1963) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. McCallum played college football for the U.S. Naval Academy, and then played professionally for the Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Early years
McCallum was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. He attended Milford High School in Milford, Ohio, near Cincinnati.

U.S. Naval Academy
McCallum attended the U.S. Naval Academy where he played football and was the star tailback, punt returner and kick returner. In the second game of his senior year, he suffered a season ending injury to his ankle. McCallum was granted an additional season eligibility by the NCAA and the Naval Academy. During his time at Navy, he was a two-time consensus All-American and set an NCAA record with 7,172 career all-purpose yards. He is also the career rushing leader at Navy with 4,179 yards. He was a member of the US Naval Academy Midshipmen football team that traveled to the Rose Bowl site in 1983 to face the US Military Academy Cadets football team in Pasadena, California, and scored two touchdowns in Navy's 48–13 victory.

McCallum was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. McCallum was a computer science major at the USNA and in 1986 held 16 football records there.

Pro career
After graduating in December 1985, McCallum stayed at the academy as a recruiter. In 1986 the Navy assigned him to USS Peleliu (LHA-5), home ported in Long Beach, California, near Los Angeles, as a supply officer. McCallum played for the Los Angeles Raiders while on active duty that year; the military does not prohibit outside employment that does not interfere with service. He rushed for his season-high NFL totals with 536 yards while splitting playing time with incumbent Marcus Allen.

The Navy reassigned McCallum in 1987 to USS California (CGN-36), home ported in Alameda, California and at that time sailing in the Indian Ocean, preventing him from returning to the NFL. After serving his duty with the Navy until 1990, McCallum rejoined the Raiders. His playing time was limited as he played special teams and as a short-yardage specialty back, as Marcus Allen was the more dominant running back at the time. In the 1993 playoffs, he rushed for 3 touchdowns in a wild-card victory over the Denver Broncos.

Injury
On September 5, 1994, during a Monday Night Football contest and the Raiders' opening game of the season at the San Francisco 49ers, McCallum's career ended prematurely when 49ers linebacker Ken Norton Jr. twisted him to the ground. As Norton and McCallum went down, McCallum's left cleat stuck in the ground, forcing his knee into a horrible dislocation. Norton lay pinned underneath a motionless McCallum for a couple of minutes while athletic trainers attended to McCallum.

McCallum suffered a complete hyperextension of his left knee, almost to a right angle. He suffered a ruptured artery in his left knee, and tore three ligaments, tore the calf and hamstring from the bone, and suffered nerve damage in the knee. He initially thought he'd only face a lengthy rehab, but McCallum's surgeon told him that there was no chance of him ever being medically cleared to play again. The surgeon said that he normally didn't see leg injuries this severe except in car accidents. Had the surgery not gone as planned, there was a chance his left leg would have been amputated.

After football
McCallum moved to Henderson, Nevada in 1996 and started a computer graphics business. He is also an avid golfer.