Central Michigan University Athletics
McClure Persists Through Ups And Downs
9/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2000
"Persistence" is the one word that best describes D.J. McClure football career at Central Michigan.
He started out as a under-sized walk-on defensive back hoping to make the team. He ended his career as the starting fullback.
There were a lot of hard times for D.J., but he showed a lot of persistence to get through the problems.
"There are a lot of down times in football and life but I have learned that you can't avoid them," McClure said. "You have to face them and work through them."
After working with the defensive backs during his first few years at CMU, D.J. moved to linebacker for a year. The next year he moved to fullback where he seemed to find his niche. During the practices this past spring, he worked his way into the starting fullback position for his fifth and final season.
D.J. started his football career in DeWitt where he was an all-area Dream Team selection for a team that won two straight league titles.
CMU teammate Casey Laughlin also played on those teams.
"It has been a lot of fun playing all these years with Casey," said the 5-10 225-pounder. "We started out in eighth grade and have played all these years together."
When asked what he most appreciated about having Casey at Central Michigan, D.J. replied: "I lived with Casey for two years and it made things a lot easier. Living with him gave me someone to hang out with and since he already knew a lot of the other players, he helped me meet a lot of new people and make some great friends."
D.J. says that even though he does not have one favorite moment from his career, he says that everytime he runs onto the field before a game is his favorite time.
"It is unlike anything you can ever experience unless you have done it," McClure said. "There is so much excitement when you run out on the field and have 20,000 people cheering for you. It is really a unique thing."
McClure is planning to go into a career in marketing and he says that football has taught him many things that he will be able to use in real life and the work place.
"Football has taught me not to be afraid to depend on other people and that I need to be accountable for all my actions," he said.
D.J. McClure has shown the persistence that it takes to become a starter for CMU and he will surely be successful in whatever career that he decides to go into and challenges that life offers.
Rob Wyman, Sports Information Assistant
