PC P RO F I LE S
Another OPC to Root For Mike McGlinchey OPC ’13 BY MARK F. BERNSTEIN OPC ’79
Mike McGlinchey OPC ’13 spent the fourth weekend of July the way all the best summer weekends are spent, on the beach in North Wildwood. There, surrounded by friends and family, including sister Mary Jane OPC ’17 and brothers Frank OPC ’15 and Matthew Class of 2020, the sprawling clan (cousin Matt Ryan OPC ’03 couldn’t make it) played in the surf and had fun. Everyone on the beach knows the family,
The Niners expect big things of McGlinchey. They drafted the Notre Dame standout with the ninth pick in the 2018 draft and rewarded him with a four-year, $18.3 million contract. So far, it is paying off. Through early October, he was the top-rated rookie offensive lineman, according to the website Pro Football Focus.
and the Eagles fans among them have made allowances for the red Atlanta Falcons jerseys the McGlincheys sometimes wear in support of Falcons’ quarterback Ryan. This weekend, though, there was another shade of red jersey, this one belonging to the San Francisco 49ers. Two days later, it was time for McGlinchey to fly out to California to begin his first NFL training camp, penciled in as the 49ers’ starting right tackle.
Though he has seen the NFL close-up, thanks to Ryan, McGlinchey was clear-eyed about how his first professional camp might differ from high school or college. “I think it’s gonna be a lot of football, maybe just a little bit more intense.”
Big Mike
Mike McGlinchey OPC ‘13 was spotted as an NFL lineman prospect when he was just 15. In his first NFL season, he is the top-rated rookie offensive lineman.
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The best nicknames are the ones that are most apt. McGlinchey has always been Big Mike. For a guy who is 6 feet 8 inches and 312 lbs., it fits. Big Mike is big. Really big—and always has been. He weighed 11 lbs. and was 23 inches long at birth and began playing flag football against fifth graders when he was only in kindergarten. By eighth grade, he was already 6 feet 5 inches. When McGlinchey was first approached about attending Penn Charter for ninth grade, it wasn’t clear whether he would focus on football or basketball. Indeed, he was in no hurry to specialize, even in football; eventually, he played every position except defensive back.
