Biography

Bishop Feehan Coach Curt Smith described Bryan McNally as a “beloved teammate who brought a lot of personality and fun to practice,” but when the whistle blew, McNally was “tough as nails - all business.”

As a 6 foot, 215 pound OLB/DB, McNally was tasked with setting the edge for the 2001 edition of the Shamrock defense. Coach Smith said McNally did that better than any other player he ever coached. Playing on the defensive strong side, McNally was a force. He was particularly outstanding when defending Wing-T offenses, denying those teams the play that was the foundation of that scheme, the Buck Sweep. Teams could not run outside to his side of the field because he played with such abandon and created constant havoc. Eventually, Coach Smith recalled fondly, teams “gave up trying to run in his direction.”

As a standout Feehan defender, Bryan McNally had countless tackles for loss. One play in particular represents the epitome of how relentlessly McNally played the game. In a Friday night game in 2001 against archrival Attleboro, the Blue Bombardiers had driven to the Feehan 2 yard line. On third down, they ran off-tackle right at McNally. What McNally did is still vivid in the memory of coaches and teammates alike. He instinctually attacked the FB, hit him 3 yards deep in the backfield, and knocked him backward into the ball carrier, where he too fell backward for another 3 yard loss. In one play, Attleboro went from the 2 to nearly the 10 yard line. Forced to throw on 4th down, the ball fell incomplete and Feehan kept Attleboro out of the end zone.

McNally’s prowess on defense was not limited to being a stout run stopper. As a skilled basketball player, Bryan possessed great footwork and played 10 yards off of the ball in Feehan’s cover two scheme. He regularly covered and shut down athletic TE's and WR's deep in the secondary. With McNally anchoring a stingy defense, the Shamrocks gave up few points; they held North Attleboro, Coyle, and Attleboro to 7 points only, Stang to 6 points, Dartmouth to 3 points, and shut out Nauset, easily winning the EAC crown.

Against Duxbury in the playoffs, with the game tied at 16 in overtime, the Green Dragons drove to the four yard line. On third and goal, McNally made a diving interception in the right flat just inside the goal line, thwarting a Duxbury TD. Three plays later, fellow Hall of Famer Joe Reilly kicked the game winning FG.

Behind Bryan McNally and the no-nonsense defense, Feehan went on to shut out Pentucket in the Superbowl, sparking a run of four straight State Championships on Holcott Drive.