The Rutherford County
Sports Hall of Fame
Anthony "Chuck" McSwain
2017
an All-American fullback and linebacker from Chase High School in Rutherford County, NC. McSwain attended Chase High School in North Carolina, where he was an All-American fullback and also played linebacker on defense. He lettered in basketball and track. His number 35 was retired by the school a couple years following his graduation.
He accepted a scholarship from Clemson University and became a starter as a freshman, in place of an injured Lester Brown. He finished with 443 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns including 120 yards on 18 carries versus Duke University. He was named the conference's rookie of the year. In 1980, he was the team's second leading rusher with 544 yards, including 272 yards on 37 attempts (6.8-yard average) in the final three games. He gained a total of 2,320 yards as a running back with the Clemson Tigers, and was a member of the university's 1981 National Championship Team.
McSwain was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft. In his first career pre-season appearance, he had a game to remember against the Miami Dolphins, scoring 2 touchdowns in less than 2 minutes (including a 37-yard touchdown run). It was the last preseason game, the last chance to make the team. The first and second quarter went by and McSwain was still on the bench, The third quarter rolled into the fourth with only two minutes
remaining when Coach Landry finally put McSwain in for his final chance, With two touchdowns down, a screen play to McSwain would lead him to run 67 yards for a touchdown. Coach Landry walked up the McSwain and said, "Son, you were two minutes away from being cut.
Congratulations, you are a Dallas Cowboy."