It seems as if 2021 has been a bad year for former professional athletes as there has been a record amount of deaths this year in the sports world. Unfortunately, father time struck again, but this time with a former player of the Chicago Bears.
Frank McRae, who previously played in the NFL as a defensive tackle for the Bears and the Los Angeles Rams passed away yesterdays from a heart attack at the age of 80. While McRae’s tenure in the NFL was short lived, he made an even bigger name for himself as an actor in Hollywood.
McRae acted in big time movies such as the James Bond thriller, License to Kill. He also starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1993’s Last Action Hero. McRae also had appearances in other films such as 48 Hrs., Red Dawn, Hard Times, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Loaded Weapon, and Used Car.
In other NFL news, former Chicago Bears head coach and tight end Mike Ditka had some interesting thoughts on Tim Tebow signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars and trying out for a Tight End roster spot. See below what Ditka had to say about Tebow and how the Tight End position has evolved in today’s NFL:
“Absolutely,” Ditka told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. “Listen, I think he’s a good enough athlete. I think he deserves a shot. I’d give him a shot. No problem.
“The tight end today, they don’t call on them to do a whole heck of a lot of blocking anymore,” Ditka said. “He’s basically a receiver. So I think Tebow would be very, very capable and will probably do a good job in that area. I don’t see any problem with it.
“Now, if it was the tight end of 20 years ago where you had to block defensive ends, I think it’s a bit different. But they don’t have to do that anymore. They flank ’em out there, split ’em out five yards and they run routes. He’s a good enough athlete where he can beat those guys in the secondary. And I think he’ll be a darned good one.”
