Clear Lake High School honored one of its own last Friday when Steve McKinney's football jersey was retired in District Stadium during a halftime ceremony at the Falcons' annual spring game.
McKinney, an all-district and all-state football player at Lake during the 1992 and 1993 seasons and currently the starting center for the NFL Houston Texans, watched the game on the sidelines as the Falcon Blue and White squads went through their paces.
During the halftime ceremony McKinney and the several hundreds spectators who sat in the bleachers got a good look at the neatly encased and framed No. 88 jersey that was brought on the field. It will hang in Clear Lake's weight room.
Indeed, it was Steve McKinney night at District Stadium.
Signed photos of him were available just inside the complex. McKinney also spoke to both teams prior to the start of the contest. Clear Lake head football coach Troy Aduddell introduced McKinney to the crowd at halftime. The Falcon-ex spoke of his days at the school and thanked everyone for the honor of having his jersey retired. Even the Clear Lake cheerleaders go into the act with a vocal and dance routine just for him.
McKinney's wife, Tiffany, and daughters Jordan and Grace were in the bleachers enjoying the moment. Tiffany McKinney even took photos of the halftime festivities.
McKinney himself savored the evening.
"This is awesome," he said.
"It's such a great honor," he added. "I love Clear Lake. I had a great career here, and they had a great season last year and I think they can really build on that," he said of the Falcons' run to the state semifinals in San Antonio. Lake finished with its best-ever 13-2 record.
"I think they can take it all the way to the state championship," McKinney said of Clear Lake's upcoming 2005 season. "They came so close...and if they work hard they can win it all."
Working hard on his chosen sport is what got McKinney into college and the pros and Aduddell wanted to impress that fact on his team.
"I think everyone can take Steve's hard work and use it as an inspiration," Aduddell said.
McKinney, who played defensive end and tight end for the Falcons, was an offensive lineman at Texas A&M. The four-year lettermen started three years for the Aggies.
After graduation, the Indianapolis Colts drafted McKinney in the fourth round in 1998 and got themselves a genuine gold nugget. For three years he started at guard for the Colts before the Texans signed him three years ago as an unrestricted free agent in their first year. He made the switch to center with relative ease.
He thinks 2005 will be the Texans breakout year. He likes what he sees around him on the team.
"We have guys who work hard and have talent," McKinney said, "and I'm real excited about our prospects."
Last year the Texans lost several games in the final minutes of play. This time, it will be different McKinney says.
"I think we're going to be more prepared for that fourth quarter. We're going to continue to play hard and that will give us more of a chance to pull the game out," he said.
McKinney, who played high school football in Centerville during his freshman and sophomore years, moved with his family to the Clear Lake area and played for the Falcons in 1992-93.
As a junior, and in his first year at Lake, McKinney made second team all-district at defensive end. That season the Falcons finished 24-5A runners-up to Galveston Ball with a 5-1 district mark. They defeated Willowridge in the playoffs before falling to Eisenhower. Lake finished 7-4-1 that year.
It was in 1993 when McKinney began to make his mark in his senior year at Lake. He made the first team all district on both sides of the ball. He was first team at tight end and first team defensive lineman. For the second straight year the Falcons finished second in 24-5A to Ball with a 6-1 record. Overall, they were 8-1-2. In post-season they lost a heartbreak tie-break game to Dulles on penetrations after regulation ended 21-21. This was in the days before overtime.
As a tight end for the Falcons in '93, McKinney was 8th in receiving in 24-5A. He caught 27 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.
Now entering his eighth season as a professional football player, McKinney at 29, also doubles as a businessman. His Velocity Sports Performance facility in Friendswood works and trains athletes in all aspects of sports and conditioning.
Last week the Houston Texans finished their first week of coaching sessions.
First pre-season game for Houston will be on Aug. 13 against the Denver Broncos at Reliant Stadium. The first regular-season game will be at Buffalo against the Bills on Sept. 11. The first regular-season home game will be Sept. 18 against Pittsburgh.