The 1938 Duke Blue Devils football team was unscored upon and unbeaten until the Rose Bowl, when the USC Trojans scored a touchdown with less than a minute remaining to win, 7–3.

[3] McAfee also batted .353 as a center fielder for the Duke Blue Devils baseball team and captured a Southern Conference 100-meter championship as a senior.

In his first professional game, McAfee returned a punt for a 75-yard touchdown with 30 seconds to play to beat the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Later in his rookie season, he ran back a kickoff for 93 yards and threw a touchdown pass to help the Bears win over their rival, the Green Bay Packers.

While his rushing yardage totals seem modest by today's standards, he had to share the backfield with other outstanding running backs, such as Hugh Gallarneau, Norm Standlee, and Bill Osmanski, as well as Hall of Fame quarterback Sid Luckman.

During his time playing pro football, McAfee scored 234 points, gained 5,313 combined net yards, intercepted 25 passes in eight seasons, and was the NFL punt return champion.

Red Grange, a star of earlier Bears teams, called McAfee "the most dangerous man with the football in the game.

"[2] Green Bay Coach Earl "Curly" Lambeau called McAfee "the most talented back the Packers ever faced.

"[7] John F. Kieran, the sports columnist for The New York Times, wrote in 1940: "the debate around Chicago has been as to whether McAfee is just as good as Jim Thorpe ever was, or better."

George Halas, the Bears' longtime owner and coach, once said, "the highest compliment you can pay any ball carrier is just compare him with McAfee."

While starring as running back, defensive back, kicker, punter, and kick returner for the mighty Chicago Bears of the 1940s, McAfee was named All Pro, set the all-time career punt return mark, and contributed to the Bears' NFL championships in 1940, 1941, and 1946.

According to his obituaries, McAfee rarely spoke of his football exploits after he retired from the sport but did frequently attend Duke athletic events for many years.

[11] McAfee developed dementia in his later years and moved into Cypress Court, an assisted living facility specializing in Alzheimer's and memory care in Decatur, Georgia.