Lamar McHan
Lamar McHan (December 16, 1932 – November 23, 1998) was an American football quarterback and coach. He grew up in Lake Village, Arkansas, and played college football at the University of Arkansas, where he was a standout single-wing tailback and earned first-team All-SWC honors in 1953. He finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting that year and played in the Blue-Gray and College All-Star games.
McHan was the Chicago Cardinals’ second overall pick in the 1954 NFL draft. He played for the Cardinals through 1958, but in 1956 he was suspended and fined for insubordination. In 1959 he was traded to the Green Bay Packers, where he began the season as the starter before a leg injury led to Bart Starr taking over. He started some games in 1960 before being traded to the Baltimore Colts in 1961, where he served as a backup to Johnny Unitas. He was waived by the Colts in 1963 and briefly joined the San Francisco 49ers. In 1965 he tried out for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League, winning the starting job at training camp but being cut after two starts.
After retiring as a player, McHan became a coach. He worked at Northern Arizona University (1969-70), the University of Texas at Arlington (1971-73), and then spent a decade with the New Orleans Saints (1974-84) as a quarterbacks/receivers coach under three head coaches. McHan died of a heart attack in Jefferson, Louisiana, at age 65. He is buried in Metairie, Louisiana.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:18 (CET).