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New Orleans Saints great Deuce McAllister honored at retirement dinner

JACKSON, MISS. - Deuce McAllister hung up his cleats six months ago.

The former Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints star now begins Phase II - or Phase Deuce - of his life.

But before he embarked on the great unknown, McAllister enjoyed a night of reflection on Friday, when friends, family and colleagues feted him at a retirement dinner at the Jackson (Miss.) Convention Center.

"Celebrating a Saint" was a wonderful evening, with several heartwarming testimonials to McAllister and his standout career at Morton High School, Ole Miss and the Saints.

The outpouring of support was inspiring. Everyone from Mississippi State Sen. Michael Watson to Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams to Saints guard Terrence Metcalf, praised McAllister, mostly for his friendship and humanitarianism. More was said about McAllister's off-field work than his remarkable on-field production.

The consensus: McAllister was a better man than a football player.
Anyone who played with, worked with or cheered for McAllister during his Saints career could attest to that.

It should come as no surprise that McAllister plans to keep his Catch22 Foundation going in retirement. He wants kids in Ludlow, Brandon, Starkville and Utica to enjoy the same opportunities he did as youth in tiny Lena, Miss.
On Friday night, McAllister fondly recalled his first autograph - indoor soccer star Steve Long - and his first road trip as a 10-year-old youth football standout to the exotic metropolis of Slidell. ("That was BIG!" McAllister laughed.)

"The kids need all the help they can get," McAllister said. "We can't let them down. It's about giving to others. We want to see the kids from Ludlow, Brandon and Starkville be successful."
Retirement seems to be suiting McAllister. On Friday night, he was relaxed and brandishing his trademark smile throughout the evening. The desire to play remains, but he's accepted his fate.

It took an army of Packers to bring down New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister in this 35-20 Saints win.
Only five years ago, McAllister was coming off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and was on the verge of signing a $50.1 million contract extension.
Three major knee injuries and seven operations later, McAllister is out of the league and looking for work.

"It hasn't always been easy, but I've been taught the world isn't always going to be perfect," he said. "Whatever hand you're dealt, that's how it is and you make the best of it."

McAllister vowed Friday night to make the best of his second career.
He hopes to land a gig as a college football analyst with a TV network in the fall. He's also considering some kind of role with the Saints organization, though not as a coach.

"I don't see that in my future," McAllister said.
If nothing else, he could probably earn a decent living just being Deuce McAllister in Louisiana and Mississippi. Few athletes are as revered in these parts as Deuce.
Perhaps the only former athlete more revered in both states is another former Ole Miss and Saints standout.

I spoke to Archie Manning on Friday at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux. Few athletes have made better transitions to their post-playing careers than Manning. He remains a force as a marketer and public speaker.
I asked Archie and Peyton Manning if they had any remarks they'd like me to relay to Deuce at his dinner later that evening.
Both praised McAllister for his work on and off the field. Both wished him the best in retirement.

Peyton called McAllister "a stud."
Archie said "Deuce is good people."
If you know the Mannings, that's high praise.
There've been a lot of studs in the NFL over the years. And a lot of very good people, too. But rare is to find a stud who is also "good people."
Deuce McAllister is one of the few.

The same qualities that made him a success in his football career will carry him in Phase Deuce.