Renaissance of Annandale resident Ron “The Dancing Bear” McDole named to Football Hall of Fame

Award ceremony to be held Sept. 14 at Renaissance of Annandale

(ANNANDALE, Va.) — Renaissance of Annandale resident Ron McDole attained a prodigious resume on the football field including an 18 year pro career, playing in more than 250 games, two AFL Championships, a Super Bowl appearance, and 62 years later, still holds the record for the longest NFL playing career of any University of Nebraska Husker player.

Next month, McDole - nicknamed “The Dancing Bear” - will add yet another accolade to his long list of accomplishments - Nebraska Hall of Fame award winner.

McDole and his family, who also live in Northern Virginia, learned in July that he had been named to the 2022 class of Nebraska Hall of Fame inductees. 

“Ron was very honored and emotional to be told he was being inducted to the University of Nebraska Football Hall of fame, said Tammy McDole, Ron’s daughter. “It was an honor he did not think he would ever receive.” 

The 2022 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted at a September 9 banquet in Lincoln following the Huskers’ home game against Georgia Southern. McDole will be unable to attend the official ceremony, however, the staff at Renaissance at Annandale, where McDole resides, are planning their own Hall of Fame celebration. 

“Thank you to Jerome and the staff for offering and planning the celebration here at Renaissance of Annandale,” said Ron McDole. “Everyone has been very friendly and helpful to me since I have been here and they take good care of me. Since I will not be able to go to Nebraska to receive my award, to be able to have this celebration here at Renaissance with my friends and family means the world to me.” 

McDole’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be held Wednesday, September 14th at 2 pm at Renaissance at Annandale, 7112 Braddock Rd., in Annandale. 

McDole was a three-year letterwinner as a tackle for the Huskers from 1958-1960, and served as team captain in his final year. During his junior and senior seasons in Lincoln, he spent 1,074 out of a possible 1,200 minutes on the field - more than any other player at the time. He was also chosen in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, the Blue-Gray game in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Coaches All-America Game in Lubbock, Texas. 

McDole went on to play 18 seasons in the NFL and AFL playing with the Cardinals, Oilers, Bills, and Redskins. He continues to hold the record of the longest NFL playing career of any Nebraska football player. According to the University of Nebraska, McDole was selected for Hall of Fame induction from the Legends player category.