Pellom McDaniels III (February 21, 1968 – April 19, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). After his playing career, he became a professor and curator at Emory University. Early life McDaniels was born the first child of Pellom and Mary McDaniels. However, he was raised by his maternal grandparents and later went on to attend Silver Creek High School in San Jose. Collegiate career McDaniels began his undergraduate studies in Fine Arts at Oregon State University where he experienced success as a student-athlete. He played defensive end for the Oregon State Beavers. In his junior season, he had 42 tackles and a team-high 6.5 sacks. McDaniels earned 2nd team All-Pac-10 honors his senior year after finishing the season with 46 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Professional career Following his collegiate career, McDaniels worked for Procter & Gamble as a Health and Beauty Care representative in the Portland, Oregon area before pursuing a professional football career in the World League of American Football with the Birmingham Fire. In 1991, McDaniels signed his first contract in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles. After having hip surgery, he spent his recovery time coaching football defensive lineman at Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon. Pellom spent his evenings after practice working on his own reconditioning and strength building. He was considered one of the best coaches to have worked at Sunset High according to his students. In 1992, the Kansas City Chiefs asked McDaniels to join the team’s practice roster, and from 1993 to 1998, he was a part of the heralded defense that countered NFL offenses throughout the 1990s. While a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Football organization, McDaniels became a voice for Kansas City’s children and contributed the resources needed to begin the Arts for Smarts foundation. Programs like "Pellom and I Like Art", Wee Art, the "Fish Out Water" Writing program, and Smart Starts were designed to help children and young adults recognize and realize the possibilities for their futures. After spending two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, McDaniels retired from the NFL and began his pursuit of a graduate degree at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where he received both a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in American Studies. He was an assistant professor in history at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. He was an