Born with cerebral palsy affecting the right side of his body, McKinney began playing soccer at age 5 and played for club and high school sides alongside able-bodied players.[3] As his disability affected his running, he practiced his passing and positioning as a way to compensate.[4]
McKinney played college soccer at Concord University and became captain of the United States national cerebral palsy team, competing at the Paralympics in 2004 and 2012. Having obtained 124 caps and 81 goals, he retired in 2014 at age 35, affected by arthritis in his ankles.[3]
Retirement and Hall of Fame
After retiring, McKinney settled in Raleigh, North Carolina and coached able-bodied children at North Carolina FC, while working on introducing cerebral palsy soccer to the local area. In 2020, the National Soccer Hall of Fame allowed Paralympic, futsal and beach soccer players to be nominated, and McKinney was on the ballot from 2021; he had previously been inducted into the soccer halls of fame of West Virginia and North Carolina.[3] He was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2024, the first player from the aforementioned teams to be inducted.[4] McKinney said that he hoped his induction would raise awareness of disability soccer.[5]