Rough Childhood Leads to Adopted Family
Jeremy Maclin had the nickname "Smiley" as a child, which is impressive considering his rough childhood as detailed in a New York Times feature story in 2007.
He grew up Kirkwood, Mo., where his father left the family when Maclin was just 7 months and his siblings were 8 and 4. His mother, Cleo, worked two jobs to keep the family afloat while Maclin's older brother, Andre, changed his baby brother's diapers and prepared meals.
Cleo ran into trouble, and so did the kids, who were often left alone. That was until his youth football coach, Jeff Parres, saw him climbing through a window on a chilly October night because he was locked out of his own house. Eventually, Maclin was all-but-legally adopted by the Parres family during his sophomore year of high school.
"They all made me who I am today," Maclin said.
He Was a Basketballer Too
Maclin was ranked the nation's No. 24 wide receiver prospect coming out of high school (Rivals), and the third-best prospect overall in Missouri. He earned first-team all-state honors as a wideout, returner and safety. He shined on the basketball court too, where he was an honorable mention all-state guard who averaged 13 points, five assists and four steals per game as a junior at Kirkwood High School.
Two-Time All-American … In Two Seasons
Maclin only played two seasons at the University of Missouri. He was named an All-American both years, catching 182 passes for 2,315 yards, rushing for 669 yards and posting 2,626 return yards. He scored 33 total touchdowns in 28 games. Those are eye-popping stats, which led to him being the 19th pick of the 2009 draft and third wide receiver off the board behind Darrius Heyward Bey (No. 7, Oakland Raiders) and Michael Crabtree (No. 10, San Francisco 49ers).
In Safe Hands
During Maclin's two biggest seasons in 2014 and 2015, he had just two dropped passes – total. Of 86 "catchable" passes, Maclin caught 85 for 1,318 yards in his final year with the Philadelphia Eagles. Maclin caught 87 of 88 passes in his first year with the Chiefs. He had the best drop rate in the NFL both of those years, per Pro Football Focus.
He Recently Married a Baltimore Gal
Maclin married Adia Kuzma on May 20 in a star-studded wedding that featured former teammates LeSean McCoy, Alex Smith and Ty Hill. Maclin's former head coach, Andy Reid, was also in attendance. Adia grew up in Baltimore (she went to Hilton Elementary School) before moving to Philadelphia when she was 9 or 10. Check out some photos and videos from their wedding:
Bonus: He Can Dance?
