Former Kansas City Chiefs DL and college professor Pellom McDaniels III died on April 19, 2020, at the age of 52.
The cause of death is unknown.
His passing was announced by NFL Alumni Organization via their Twitter page:
“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Pellom McDaniels of the Kansas City Chiefs. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and prayers to Pellom’s family and teammates. He will truly be missed,” NFL Alumni tweeted.
McDaniels III was a standout defensive lineman at Oregon State but wasn’t drafted into the NFL. Instead, he played the 1991 season in the World League of American Football for the Birmingham Fire.
He was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles the following year but never played a snap for the Eagles.
At the end of the 1992 season, McDaniels III had to recover from hip surgery before he got his shot at making it in the NFL.
In 1993, he joined Marty Schottenheimer’s defense in Kansas City as a member of the Chiefs. There, he played in 74 games from 1993-1998 and recorded 7.5 sacks.
McDaniels III played his final season in 1999 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons before retiring.
After football, McDaniels III earned his master of arts and Ph.D. in American Studies at Emory University. He was an assistant professor in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City before returning to Emory University as an assistant professor in the Department of African-American Studies.
