Mack goes home

Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Tom Mack, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection with the Los Angeles Rams, was honored Monday as a Hometown Hall of Famer™ by the Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company. A special plaque ceremony took place at Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Mack was presented the historic hometown plaque in front of an auditorium filled with  family, friends, student-athletes and staff of Cleveland Heights High School.
 
Following a performance by the school’s band, event emcee and Cleveland Heights Athletic Director Kristin Hughes greeted the crowd and welcomed Mack back to his alma mater. Presenting Mack with his plaque was his daughter, Katy Mack Clark, who shared highlights from Mack’s road to success while taking the opportunity to lightly tease her father for his poor vision that made it difficult for him to play sports growing up. She also lightheartedly jabbed him about  his lack of knowledge of today’s current trends like social media. But, she made sure the crowd knew that Mack did not ever suffer from a lack of knowledge of football.
 
After the plaque was unveiled, Mack humbly took the stage to deliver important advice to the student-athletes. He noted how his 35 years spent as an engineer were just as important as his time playing football.
 
“When they tell you luck is the residue of design, it really is,” said Mack. “You’ve got to set your goals, decide what they are going to be and not be afraid to go after them. Work hard in whatever it is you are going to do.”
 
In addition to the plaque, a commemorative Tom Mack  Hometown Hall of Famer™ road sign will be on display in Cleveland Heights.
 
“Today Cleveland Heights High School becomes the 40th school in the nation to be a Hometown Hall of Famer ™ plaque recipient,” said George Veras, president and CEO of Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises. “Every time you see this plaque in the hallway, remember this day historically for what you heard here from Mr. Mack and how it commemorates the same type of support that you’re getting.”
 
“It’s an honor to be here with Tom Mack,” said Bob Sustar, a local Allstate agent. “I’m privileged to be a part of a program that honors a professional football legend like Tom Mack and brings his family back to the place where it all began.”
 
Mack, an All-American at the University of Michigan, was the Los Angeles Rams’ first round draft pick, second player selected overall, in the 1966 NFL Draft. The 6-3, 250-pound left guard was one of only two rookies to survive the entire first season on George Allen’s veteran-dominated Los Angeles squad.
 
Mack became a youthful leader on an excellent offensive line. He never missed a game during his 184-game tenure, a consecutive game streak third in Rams’ history behind only Jack Youngblood and Merlin Olsen. During his 13 seasons in Los Angeles, Mack led the Rams to 12 winning seasons and helped them compile a .720 won-lost record (129-48-7). They won their division eight times and played in four NFC championship games.
 
Mack, a five-time All-NFL selection and an eight-time All-NFC choice, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

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