Where are they now? | Mark McMillian
EAGLES CAREER: He was drafted in the 10th round in 1992, falling on the Eagles list between Ephesians Bartley and Pumpy Tudors. He joined a defense that the year before had allowed fewer than 15 points a game. "There I was a couple of weeks before watching these guys on Monday night and all of a sudden I was walking in the locker room with these guys," McMillian said, not likely to turn heads at 5-7. "It was definitely a thrill for me. I remember when I first walked into the locker room. Reggie White, you know, he made a joke like 'Whose little kid is this?' and I knew he was a minister and all, but I said some four-letter words that he probably wasn't comfortable with. But that's just my mentality." McMillian began starting at left cornerback midway through his rookie season and held that post through 1995. He would later play for the Saints, Chiefs, 49ers and Redskins.
WHERE HE IS NOW: McMillian, 38, is working as a juvenile detention officer in the Phoenix area, interacting with young teen girls. He worked the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift, 5 days a week. "Get the kids up, take them to school, make sure they get three meals a day ... make sure no one fights or gets in any more trouble than they already are in. Just talking to them on a daily basis, you know a lot of these kids are in there for drugs, for sexual abuse ... in there for stuff that really is hitting our country right now." He has a son, 9, who was going for a youth football title last weekend, and a teen daughter, making his work seem even more gratifying. "I see what's going on today and I have a chance to help some kids out, maybe save their life, that's a blessing to me."
AN EAGLES MEMORY: All good, he said. "Kansas City was a great atmosphere, a great place to play in. But in Philly, it was just different playing in front of that crowd. Guys always talk about, 'How did you like playing in the Vet in front of those people?' We love it. They come out and cheer us; they'll boo us for stinking it up. If you can make it in Philly, you can make it anywhere."
PERSPECTIVE ON TODAY'S GAME: "It's like flag football now," he said, noting the many fines being assessed to defensive players for what used to be accepted hits. "I tell guys that if Andre Waters or Wes Hopkins or Ronnie Lott would be playing these days, they'd be playing for free [because of the fines]."
