A returning legend

Ronald McKinnon (44) closes in on Pittsburgh State running back LeVone Madden in the 1995 NCAA Divsion II National Championship Game. McKinnon will return to UNA Sept. 5 as the linebacker coach for Miles College. 

With his upcoming return to Braly Stadium Sept. 5 as the defensive linebacker coach for Miles College, former UNA Defensive Lineman Ronald McKinnon said he is ready to be back on his home turf to do what he knows and loves most: football. The alumnus said he recalls memories of what it’s like to give it all on the field and come out on top. 

McKinnon grew up in Elba, Ala., a small town on the other side of Troy University. Growing up the youngest in a household of older brothers meant sports, especially football, were no scarcity, he said.

“All my brothers played,” he said. “I was into football as a kid, but you know what? I thought I was a better basketball player than I was a football player. But I didn’t get any taller so I’d reckoned I’d better stick to football.”

McKinnon started all four years at UNA as a defensive lineman. As a freshman, he was on the line with all-star seniors. His first game as a Lion was against Central Missouri University in 1992, and even though he was only a freshman, he said his team was counting on him during the game. That season the Lions made it to the second round of the playoffs, but lost by two points to Jacksonville State University.

“After that game, we made a commitment as a football team that we were good players and a good team, and to make sure not to let that happen again,” he said. “We stayed up there during the summer, and made sure everybody had their schoolwork, passed grades and stuff like that.”

And the dedication paid off, he said. The following season, in 1993, the Lions won their first of three consecutive NCAA Division II Championship titles.

Leaving UNA, McKinnon said he had a slew of awards and records on his resume.

He, along with a few other UNA players, entered into the NFL draft that same year. He became a free agent and was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals, he said. He played nine seasons with the Cardinals, and one season with the New Orleans Saints, for a total of 157 games, he said. 

Shifting into the NFL was not as bad for McKinnon as others claimed it was for them, he said. 

“They are just like me and you, except they are a little bit bigger and they might be a little bit taller,” he said. “But it’s football. You’re always going to have someone to run the ball, and you’re always going to have someone to make the tackle. But the biggest transition was that now this is a job. 

You’ve got to be on time. You can’t miss anything. It’s become a competition each and every day, because once you get into the NFL, you’ve got people constantly coming in trying to get your job. That puts so much pressure on you. But when you go up against guys bigger and faster, you will get bigger and faster.”

He ended his professional career with over 1,000 tackles, 12 sacks and 10 pass interceptions, he said. 

In 2008, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2010, he said he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Now, McKinnon said he is a family man who is settled back in Alabama. He is currently a coach for the Miles College Golden Bears, and said he will be accompanying them to Florence Sept. 5 for UNA’s opening season game. 

“We are coming to win next week,” McKinnon said. “I don’t believe I’ve ever lost a game at Braly Stadium.”