Beaver Great and NCAA Silver Anniversary Recipient Pellom McDaniels Passes Away
April 19, 2020 | Football
Corvallis – Oregon State University is saddened to learn of the passing of Pellom McDaniels. He was 52.
McDaniels was honored in 2015 with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, presented to distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate careers. He is one of three Oregon State individuals to earn the prestigious honor, joining Mel Counts and Terry Baker.
McDaniels was a three-year letterman defensive lineman at OSU from 1987-89, earning then-Pac-10 Conference postseason honors twice. He signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1991 after a two-year stint with Birmingham of the World League of American Football. He played five seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs (1993-98) and two with the Atlanta Falcons (1999-2000).
He was nominated by the Chiefs for the NFL Man of the Year Award for his contributions to the community. He also opened multiple charity organizations.
He earned his doctorate in American Studies, focusing on the impact of black athletes on American History, and was a professor in African American Studies and the faculty curator of African American Collections at Emory University in Georgia. McDaniels, a recipient of several national and institutional awards at Emory, was also a board member of numerous foundations and museums, including the Negro League Baseball Museum, where he had served since 1998.
McDaniels was honored in 2015 with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, presented to distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate careers. He is one of three Oregon State individuals to earn the prestigious honor, joining Mel Counts and Terry Baker.
McDaniels was a three-year letterman defensive lineman at OSU from 1987-89, earning then-Pac-10 Conference postseason honors twice. He signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1991 after a two-year stint with Birmingham of the World League of American Football. He played five seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs (1993-98) and two with the Atlanta Falcons (1999-2000).
He was nominated by the Chiefs for the NFL Man of the Year Award for his contributions to the community. He also opened multiple charity organizations.
He earned his doctorate in American Studies, focusing on the impact of black athletes on American History, and was a professor in African American Studies and the faculty curator of African American Collections at Emory University in Georgia. McDaniels, a recipient of several national and institutional awards at Emory, was also a board member of numerous foundations and museums, including the Negro League Baseball Museum, where he had served since 1998.
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