Lewis College On March 3, 1948, McLean signed a contract to serve as
head coach of
Lewis College in
Lockport, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. To supplement his income during that first year, he also served as an assistant coach with the
Chicago Rockets of the
All-America Football Conference. During his first two seasons at Lewis, McLean's teams completely dominated, outscoring opponents 548–80 while compiling a 14–2 record. In 1950, the school moved to the much stronger Midlands Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but McLean left after that campaign to become an assistant with the Packers in 1951.
Green Bay Packers Working under second-year head coach
Gene Ronzani, McLean watched the Packers struggle with a 3–9 mark in
1951, but then improved by three games the
following year. However, after winning just twice in ten games in
1953, Ronzani resigned following a
Thanksgiving Day loss at
Detroit, with two games remaining. McLean and fellow Packer assistant
Hugh Devore completed the season as co-head coaches; Green Bay lost both road games in California to extend the season's losing streak to five games and finish at 2–9–1. McLean was the only assistant retained in
1954 by new head coach
Lisle Blackbourn and returned to his role as the backfield coach. The Packers won four games in 1954 and were a .500 team in
1955, but a record over four seasons led to another coaching change in Green Bay after the
1957 season, their first in the new
City Stadium (renamed
Lambeau Field in
1965). On January 6, Blackbourn was fired and the 42-year-old McLean was immediately elevated to the top position for
1958, but with only a one-year contract. Unfortunately, the team bottomed-out under his leadership, which included players deciding how they should discipline themselves. The Packers finished the season with a franchise-worst record, with a roster laden with future All-Pro and
hall of fame players. McLean's contract expired on December 31 and he resigned days after the conclusion of the season, which opened the way for the hiring of
Lombardi in January
1959.
Detroit Lions McLean immediately found work as an assistant with the
Detroit Lions, under former Bears teammate
George Wilson, and served in that role for the next five years. Wilson, his road roommate in Chicago, had offered the job a year earlier before McLean became the head coach. ==Death==