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The team had no formal program for conditioning, and McGee began his fitness program almost solely as a result of his wife’s encouragement.
When he was traded to the New England Patriots in 1974, McGee says a new role brought new incentive to intensify his personal fitness programs.
“I was traded two days before the season opener with [the] Miami [Dolphins] wrho were Super Bowl champs at the time,” he says. “Until that game, I had played every down of every game, but [the coaches] just wanted to use me as a pass rusher because I’d never played on a threeman [defensive] line.”
One day a reporter from UPI asked McGee what role he played on the team since he didn’t really “start” most games, but still played a lot. McGee, who had been watching Reggie Jackson perform as a designated hitter, replied, “I’m the designated pass rusher,” thereby coining a term that is still used today.
Now really in the spotlight for the first time, McGee began to feel more pressure to play better and better.
“Conditioning really became important,” he recalls. “I was getting paid to deliver, and the fun and games were over. I had to quit being a silly young kid and play hurt. . I wanted to be a success.”
It was then that he began to make serious physical assessments.
”1 decided I had to work with free weights,” he says. “I began to target the areas of stress like my neck, which I sometimes used to butt people.
“I also wanted to build up my cardiovascular system so in the fourth quarter when that 300-pound offensive lineman was getting tired, I was just getting started.”
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