McClain played linebacker for the Hornets and was a first-team All-CIC and All-District 10 selection in 1968. He blocked an incredible seven kicks his junior and senior seasons. After his playing days, he returned to his native New Jersey and coached football, indoor and outdoor track for 25 years. He was inducted into the New Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Demarest High School Hall of Fame in 2013. He took a sabbatical from teaching and coaching  to be a graduate assistant at Emporia State in 1989 and coached two All-Americans in track & field. He returned to Kansas in 1997 to coach at Madison HS. He won back to back state football titles with the Bulldogs in 2010 and 2011. He was a two-time Kansas HS Coach of the Year in 8-man and was the five state Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2011. In 2015 the football field at Madison was named McClain Field in his honor.