DaRonte McNeill was born on March 5, 1988, in Elizabeth City, NC to Theresa Mallory (Gary) and Reginald Combs (Rashema). He grew up with two siblings (Reginald & DeMarco). The neighborhood parks quickly became DaRonte’s favorite playground, fostering his love for sports from a very young age. DaRonte honed his skills, demonstrating a natural talent for the game, and quickly developed an MVP caliber mindset by the age of 14. DaRonte has also always had a passion for fixing things, is very good at working with his hands and that passion evolved into a post athletic career as an Aircraft Mechanic working for the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Starting in Sports:
DaRonte first picked up a football at the age of 5. By the age of 10, he had joined the local Elizabeth City Boys Club football youth flag football team. Playing flag football, DaRonte honed his skills, demonstrating a natural talent for the running back position, and quickly became the team's MVP. From there, DaRonte transitioned to the River Road Rockets middle school football team where he was able to showcase his potential to be elite at the running back position. DaRonte went on to earn the starting running back position at his high school alma mater the Northeastern High School Eagles under the guidance of Coach Antonio Moore. As a focal point of the Northeastern Eagles potent rushing attack from 2003-2006, DaRonte quickly earned his signature nickname (8-Ball) that would follow him for the rest of his athletic career. Daronte finished his high school athletic career as North Carolina’s 7th leading all-time rusher with 7,787 yards.
DaRonte was highly recruited coming out of high school by Division I colleges and elected to take his talent to East Carolina University (ECU) as a red-shirt freshman in the fall of 2006. DaRonte completed one year at ECU but decided that he wanted to transfer to a school closer to his family. Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) Head Coach Waverly Tillar welcomed the hometown phenom in the spring of 2008 and the rest is Vikings history:
Athletic Achievements:
•              2x All-CIAA 1st Team Selection
•              CIAA Offensive Player of the Year (2011)
•              Daktronics All-Super Regional Team (2011)
•              HBCU 1st Team All-American (2011, 2012)
•              Lindy’s Preseason Player of the Year (2012)
•              2 NCAA post season appearances (2011 NCAA Playoffs, 2012 Pioneer Bowl)
•              2012 Pioneer Bowl XIV MVP
In addition to these accolades, DaRonte holds the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) record for most carries in a season (354) and 14 ECSU Football records including being the school’s all-time leading rusher.
Beyond his exceptional playing career, DaRonte’s greatest accomplishment was earning a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management in 2012. DaRonte is not only an exceptional athlete but also a compassionate and generous individual who truly represents the spirit of the game.
