Ex-Pioneer Shines at Dome as Indianapolis Colt

Mike McNeill had never before played in the Edward Jones Dome.

His first game inside the downtown St. Louis stadium came last Saturday night when the Indianapolis Colts rookie tight end got to face his hometown St. Louis Rams.

“I didn’t get to in high school, should have twice,” said McNeill, a former and University of Nebraska at Lincoln standout who was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent on July 29.

McNeill graduated from Kirkwood in 2006 after earning first-team all-state honors in both his junior and senior seasons. The Pioneers reached the Class 6 state semifinals in 2004, only to be thwarted by Hazelwood East, who was led by star receiver Chris Brooks. In a twist of irony, Brooks—also a first-year player out of Nebraska—is now McNeill’s teammate with the Colts.

The Rams defeated the Colts, 33-10, in Saturday night’s NFL preseason opener. But with two St. Louis natives on the roster, the Colts have the Rams beat when it comes to Missourians. Tight end Demarco Cosby, an undrafted rookie who hails from Kansas City and played collegiately at Central Missouri State, is the only Missouri native on the Rams roster.

McNeill caught three passes for 33 yards on Saturday, including a 21-yarder midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Colts a first down. Despite leading his team in receptions, McNeill called his unofficial NFL debut average.

“I did some things well, some things not so well,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of things to improve on, but there were some good things.”

McNeill said he only had four family members in attendance, but estimated the McNeill cheering section to be about 100 people strong.

“I had a bunch of support out here,” McNeill said. “There were quite a few from Kirkwood and a lot of friends I have around here. My best friends from high school came. It was definitely fun.”