A conversation with McBride is like listening to a combination travelogue, philosophy class and adventure novel. His accomplishments include leading the Tennessee State University football team to the Division II Final Four as a freshman, being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and coaching both wide receivers and the women's basketball team at Amherst. For his work in that last category, he was just named NESCAC coach of the year.
Every adventure has a beginning, and McBride's began in Syracuse, New York, where he grew up with six siblings, his mother and his stepfather. Education was always a priority in his home, but McBride also loved sports. His first sport, surprisingly, was baseball.
"Believe it or not, my best sport by far was baseball. My mother was a pretty good softball player, and I pitched, and played shortstop and center field," he said. "The University of Wyoming was pushing pretty hard for me to go there and play baseball."
Yet, it was not baseball that McBride would play in college. Instead, he played point guard and defensive back for the Tennessee State Tigers. While his parents didn't mind him playing baseball and basketball while growing up, they had forbidden him from playing football.
"I had broken my leg playing basketball in seventh grade, and my mom said there was no way I was going to play football," he said. But McBride didn't let a little thing like that prevent him from sneaking off in 10th grade to join the football team. He bought a three dollar pair of football shoes from the thrift store, and everyday he would have to come up with an excuse that would explain where he had been during the time he was practicing. His deception worked so well that his parents never saw him play.
While he excelled at football, it was basketball that brought him the most recognition early on. He chose Tennessee State over Division I programs because an agent suggested it. "It was a real journey, going from the North to the South. I was the only New Yorker on the team, and it was tough at times," he said. By going to Tennessee State, he was told that he would be a "big fish in a small pond," to use McBride's phrase. The plan worked out fairly well. As a point guard he led the Tigers to the Final Four his freshman year. At the consolation game Celtics great Bob Cousy ran into McBride in an elevator and asked him how Syracuse University had let him escape. His sophomore year, though, Tennessee State moved to Division I and the Tigers became a little fish in a big pond.
Despite this, McBride was still drafted, just not for basketball. Instead, he was picked up by the 49ers, where he played wide receiver. The boy who had to sneak out of the house to practice was now a professional football player. After a year with the Niners, McBride moved to the Canadian Football League where he played for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders and two other teams during a six year career.
After this career ended, McBride returned to New York. There he met his wife and got a job as an athletic director and coach at a small private school. At the same time, he also tried his hand at acting. While this may seem to be a large jump, it was a natural move for McBride. "Up in Canada, we did a lot of commercials with the Rough Riders and B.C. Lions," he explained, "So when I got to New York, I went out and did print work and went out on a lot of auditions."
After years of moving around, McBride came to Amherst 12 years ago and seems content to have finally settled in one place. He came in as an assistant coach for both football and basketball. And while his first few years the football team struggled, McBride said that, "This helped me, because I didn't know how it felt to lose. I have been able to watch the football program go through the changes since I've been here." With such a varied career McBride speaks from experience when he says, "I really like Amherst because everyone is here because they want to be here." And while it was his wife who first convinced him to become a coach, he is also pleased with that decision. "Coaching has been good for me because of all the friendships that I've made because of it; the people are like my family now," McBride said.