March 09--The Bears agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Pernell McPhee, and collectively, much of Bears Nation asked, "Who?" McPhee had 7 1/2 sacks last season (tied for 31st), and he's far from an NFL household name.
Here are five random facts about the Bears' acquisition.
1. McPhee came from The Muck, the nickname given to hometown Pahokee, Fla., because of the dark soil that produces sugar cane. Pahokee High School's rivalry with nearby Glades Central is called the Muck Bowl. He was high school teammates with St. Louis Rams pick-six artist Janoris Jenkins and country singer Mel Tillis also hails from his school.
2. McPhee put on 60 pounds in his first two years after high school, weighing 218 pounds when he arrived at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Miss., and bulking up to 278 pounds by the time he transferred to Mississippi State.
3. McPhee and other Mississippi Staters refer to Starkville, Miss., as "Starkvegas." And yes, it's very much tongue-in-cheek. In January, the town's big event was the SOUPer Bowl.
4. Some of his fans call him "McPhenom."
5. McPhee was one of five Muck Bowl alums on Super Bowl 47 rosters, along with Baltimore Ravens teammates Anquan Boldin (Pahokee), Deonte Thompson (Glades Central) and Damien Berry (Glades Central), and the San Francisco 49ers' Ray McDonald Jr. (Glades Central). Berry had been placed on injured reserve before the season and Boldin and McDonald were the only players to register on the stat sheet on Super Bowl Sunday.
-- Baltimore Sun contributed
plthompson@chicagotribune.com
