Daniel "Colt" McCoy (born September 5, 1986) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, where he won several awards and honors as a senior in 2009.
McCoy is second all-time to Boise State's
Kellen Moore
Kellen Christopher Moore (born July 5, 1988) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played six seasons in the NFL for the ...
in games won by an NCAA Division I FBS quarterback. He was drafted by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
in the third round of the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...
. He has also been a member of the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
,
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, mostly serving as a backup quarterback.
Early life
McCoy was born in
Hobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 40,508 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, increasing from 34,122 in 2010.
Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico microp ...
.
He is the eldest of three children born to Steven Brad McCoy and Debra Kay (Woodruff) McCoy. He attended
Jim Ned High School
Jim Ned High School is a public high school located in Tuscola, Texas, United States and is classified as a 3A school by the UIL. It is part of the Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District, which also includeLawn Elementary
in
Tuscola, Texas
Tuscola is a city in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 742 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Tuscola is located at (32.209060, –99.797126).
According to the ...
,
population 714,
where he was coached in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
by his father. He achieved several distinctions as a high school player, including two-time Associated Press 2A Offensive MVP and First-team All-state selection.
Over his career, he completed 536-of-849 passes (63.1%) for 9,344 yards
and 116 TDs.
He ranks as the all-time leading passer in Texas Division 2A high school history and is fourth overall in Texas high school history.
McCoy also served as Jim Ned High School's punter as a junior and senior.
During his sophomore year, McCoy was also playing
free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
. However, after he suffered a concussion while tackling 215-pound
Bangs High School running back Jacoby Jones (not to be confused with the
wide receiver of the same name), his father decided not to let him play defense anymore. At the time Jim Ned was 8–0, but as McCoy missed the next two games due to the concussion, Jim Ned's season unraveled. McCoy also played in the 2003 Texas 2A State Championship against the San Augustine Wolves. Jim Ned lost 28–7.
College career
McCoy attended the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, where he played for coach
Mack Brown
William Mack Brown (born August 27, 1951) is an American college football coach. He is currently in his second stint as the head football coach for the University of North Carolina, where he first coached from 1988 until departing in 1997, whe ...
's
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin (variously Texas or UT) in the sport of American football. The Texas Longhorns, Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football ...
team from 2005 to 2009. Colt was a four-year starter for the Longhorns from 2006 to 2009. He won or shared the team's MVP all four years, the only player in school history to do so.
2005 season
As a
freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ara ...
, he was given a
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
year so he did not play during the team's
2005 national championship season. He served as the quarterback for the scout team in practice against the starting defense. During this time, Matt McCoy (no relation) was officially listed as the number three quarterback behind
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...
and
Matt Nordgren. When Brown chose to play Matt McCoy in four separate game situations where Texas had a commanding lead, confusion arose as to which McCoy was in the game. Many sportscasters mistakenly referred to Matt McCoy as Colt McCoy, as Colt was the more widely known player.
The following year, with Young forgoing his senior year to enter the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
and Nordgren graduating, the position of starting quarterback for the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns came down to a competition between redshirt freshman Colt McCoy and
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
Jevan Snead
Jevan Bryce Snead (September 2, 1987 – September 21, 2019) was an American football quarterback. He played college football at Mississippi after Colt McCoy won the starting quarterback position over him for the Texas Longhorns football team. H ...
.
2006 season
![2006 Longhorns vs OSU McCoy handoff to Charles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/2006_Longhorns_vs_OSU_McCoy_handoff_to_Charles.jpg)
After winning out a close competition with Jevan Snead, McCoy became the 2006 starting quarterback for the University of Texas. The season opener saw McCoy lead the Longhorns to a 56–7 victory over
North Texas
North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wor ...
, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing a yard for another, while throwing no interceptions. He was 12–19 in passing, and ran for 27 yards to help set up a touchdown. In only his second pass as a college quarterback McCoy threw a 60-yard touchdown pass. He was the first Texas freshman quarterback to start and win a season-opening game since
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...
in 1944.
The next week, the Longhorns faced #1
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
at home. McCoy went 19–32, 156 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while rushing four times for a total of eight yards. Ohio State defeated the Longhorns 24–7, ending the Longhorns 21-game winning streak.
Following wins over
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
,
Iowa State
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
, and
Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...
, McCoy got his first win over a ranked team, as well as his first come-from-behind victory, when he led the Longhorns over rival
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
28–10 in the
Red River Shootout
The Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between border rivals Oklahoma and Texas. The two teams first played each other in 1900, and the rivalry has been renewed annually and uninterrupted since 1929 for a tota ...
. McCoy threw for two touchdowns in the game.
The two touchdowns by McCoy gave him 12 touchdown passes for the season, tied for third with Longhorn passer
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
in the list of most touchdowns by a Texas freshman.
On October 14, 2006, McCoy threw a Texas record six touchdown passes in the win against
Baylor.
The previous record of five touchdown passes had been held by
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
(set vs. Baylor in 1994) and
Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms (born August 29, 1980) is an American sports analyst and former American football, football player. He was a quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in t ...
(vs.
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...
in 2001). On October 25, 2006, he was 9th in the nation with a quarterback rating of 165.4.
In the 2006
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...
game McCoy threw for his 27th passing touchdown of the season, giving him sole possession of the single-season Texas record and putting him two touchdowns shy of the NCAA single season record for freshman quarterbacks (29).
Coincidentally, this 27th pass was also for 27 yards.
On November 4, 2006, McCoy threw his 27th touchdown pass in a win against Oklahoma State, to take sole possession of the Texas school record for most touchdowns ever thrown by a quarterback in a single season.
During the November 11, 2006, game against
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
, McCoy suffered a
stinger
A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal.
An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of v ...
shoulder injury
while rushing for a touchdown on the opening drive against Kansas State.
Snead came in and played the remainder of the game. The Longhorns fell behind by as much as 21 points before Snead brought them back to within 3, finally falling in an upset by the Wildcats 45–42. There was speculation that Snead might be the starter for the final regular season game, because it was unknown whether McCoy would return for the Longhorns season closer against rival
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
on November 24, 2006.
However, McCoy was cleared to play the game against the Aggies.
With 20 seconds remaining in the
Lone Star Showdown
The Lone Star Showdown is the traditional rivalry for all varsity men's and women's athletics competitions between Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The name comes from ''Lone Star State'', which is the nickname of the s ...
versus the Aggies, McCoy was injured by a "vicious, stadium-hushing tackle"
as Aggie
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Michael Bennett connected with his helmet against McCoy's upper body after McCoy had thrown an incomplete pass.
Replays showed both on television and in the stadium revealed the hit might have included "helmet-to-helmet"
contact which is illegal in NCAA football only if done intentionally, but no flag was thrown.
When the replay was shown in the stadium, the Longhorn fans erupted in boos
before lapsing back into silence as McCoy lay on the ground writhing for ten minutes before being taken off the field on a cart.
Mack Brown said after the game "I didn't see it, but it sounded like 88,000 (fans) thought it was dirty".
Fellow Longhorn Selvin Young said he thought the hit was a clean "textbook" hit.
McCoy was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge where he spent more than three hours undergoing an evaluation that included an
X-ray
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
,
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...
, and a
CAT scan
A computed tomography scan (CT scan; formerly called computed axial tomography scan or CAT scan) is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers ...
.
Longhorns trainer Kenny Boyd said the injury was a severe pinched nerve in McCoy's neck.
Boyd said that McCoy was expected to make a full recovery, but no timetable was set for McCoy to return to play.
The injury to McCoy came one game-clock minute after an A&M player, #91 Kellen Heard had been ejected from the game for vicious blindside block on McCoy after he threw an interception, which was ruled excessive.
An X-ray, MRI exam and CT scan showed "no structural damage to McCoy's neck or shoulder".
On December 1, 2006, the Longhorns issued a statement confirming that back-up quarterback
Jevan Snead
Jevan Bryce Snead (September 2, 1987 – September 21, 2019) was an American football quarterback. He played college football at Mississippi after Colt McCoy won the starting quarterback position over him for the Texas Longhorns football team. H ...
had left the team and would transfer to an unspecified school.
This meant there would be no scholarship quarterback available to play in the Longhorns' bowl game if McCoy was not ready. On December 21, 2006, Texas announced that McCoy was cleared to start in the
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and ...
.
In the
2006 Alamo Bowl
The 2006 Alamo Bowl was a college football bowl game, one of the 2006–07 NCAA football bowl games that concluded the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on December 30 ...
played on December 30, McCoy threw two touchdowns against
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
to tie the NCAA freshman record of 29 touchdown passes established by
Nevada's David Neill in 1998. This record has since been broken by Oklahoma's
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...
in the 2007 season.
Also during the
2006 season, McCoy was named ''
College Football News
''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis include ...
'' Big 12 Player of the Year and was named the quarterback to their "All Freshman Team".
2007 season
![Colt McCoy sideline KSU-UT 2007 crop4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Colt_McCoy_sideline_KSU-UT_2007_crop4.jpg)
After just one season with Texas, McCoy received a lot of media attention, including appearing on some lists of the nation's top players of 2007. In June 2007, McCoy appeared on the cover of
Dave Campbell's ''Texas Football'' alongside
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
quarterback
Stephen McGee
Stephen Richard McGee (born September 27, 1985) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was ...
and
TCU TCU may stand for:
Education
* Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania
* Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas
** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school
* Tok ...
defensive end
Tommy Blake
Tommy Earl Blake, Jr. (born January 15, 1985) is a former American football defensive end who played college football at Texas Christian University.
Early life
Blake grew up in a tiny town in Texas. At just 10 months old his mother died of pn ...
. Additionally,
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
named McCoy one of the top 10 quarterbacks going into the 2007 season. He also made the Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12.
On June 26, 2007, Maxwell Football Club president
Ron Jaworski
Partner owner
, highlights=
* Pro Bowl (1980)
* Bert Bell Award (1980)
* Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame
;NFL record
* Longest touchdown pass: 99 yards (tied)
, statlabel1= TD– INT
, statvalue1=179–164
, statlabel2=Yards
, statvalue2=28,19 ...
announced that McCoy had been named to the preseason watch list for the
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
. The initial list includes 64 players. The winner turned out to be
Tim Tebow. In their 2007 season preview magazine, CBS Sportsline.com listed McCoy as one of twelve players on the "Heisman Watch"; saying "We were touting him for the Heisman midway through his freshman season until he was injured against Kansas State. Older and stronger, McCoy has an awesome receiving corps to make a run at the hardware for real."
He is also one of the 35 quarterbacks placed on the 2007
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since the 2004 football season to the collegiate American football quarterback as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States. It is the only quarterback award that incl ...
watch list. Further, the
Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List added McCoy on August 21, 2007.
McCoy led the Longhorns, who were ranked number four in the pre-season
Associated Press Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
and
Coaches Poll
The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officially ...
,
to a 21–13 victory over unranked
Arkansas State
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage l ...
in the season opener. McCoy threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
He also made two quick-kick punts when the Longhorns lined up as if they were attempting to convert on fourth down. He averaged thirty yards per kick and both kicks were downed inside the opponent's twenty yard-line.
In the second game, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 34–13 victory over #19-ranked
TCU TCU may stand for:
Education
* Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania
* Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas
** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school
* Tok ...
.
The road opener was the first game ever played in the
new home stadium of the
UCF Knights
The UCF Knights are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I F ...
. McCoy's 47 passing attempts tied a Texas single-game record. His 32 completions set a new school record, besting the 30 completed by Vince Young during the
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was an American college football bowl game that served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured ...
and by
Major Applewhite
Major Lee Applewhite (born July 26, 1978) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the South Alabama Jaguars. He served as head coach at the University of Houston from ...
during two 1999 games.
The final non-conference game was against Rice, and McCoy completed 20 of his 29 passing attempts, accumulating 333 yards through the air.
For the first time in the season, he did not throw an interception.
McCoy and most of the Longhorn starting players were replaced by backups after the first drive of the second half.
True freshman quarterback
John Chiles made his first college appearance in the first quarter. He came onto the field beside McCoy and then McCoy trotted out to a slot receiver position. Chiles never looked to pass; he ran up the middle for no gain. He came out of the game after that play and came back in the third quarter as McCoy's replacement. On that drive, Chiles line up in the zone-read offense and led the Longhorns 80 yards to a touchdown, carrying the ball four times for 49 yards. Chiles' strong performance immediately led to media speculation as to how much playing time he will take from McCoy.
McCoy played the worst game of his career in an upset loss to the
Kansas State Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are generally used as c ...
; He threw for 200 yards and had four interceptions.
He also suffered a concussion during the game and left the field just prior to the end of the first half and again prior to the end of the game.
After that game, ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' selected him as one of the season's 10 "Most Disappointing College Players" and noted that his nine interceptions thrown so far in 2007 were already two more than he threw in the entire 2006 season.
Stewart Mandel of ''Sports Illustrated'' listed several factors contributing to the Longhorns' struggles. He cited the off-field problems as evidence that no Texas player has been able to show the superior leadership skills of Vince Young. Mandel said that McCoy, still only a sophomore, had not been able to completely fill that gap and that McCoy's play had not been as good as during 2006. He also said part of the blame is to be placed on an offensive line that lost several starters and has not been able to consistently protect McCoy. Finally, he noted that the running game had been "equally inconsistent."
It was the worst home-field loss in Mack Brown's time with Texas. For the Wildcats, the win over Texas was the first road victory over a top–ten team in school history.
![McCoy and Chiles in pre-game warmups Red River Shootout 2007 crop2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/McCoy_and_Chiles_in_pre-game_warmups_Red_River_Shootout_2007_crop2.jpg)
McCoy and the Longhorns lost again the following week, in the 2007
Red River Shootout
The Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between border rivals Oklahoma and Texas. The two teams first played each other in 1900, and the rivalry has been renewed annually and uninterrupted since 1929 for a tota ...
. The game was a back-and-forth affair that was ultimately won by
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
28–21. OU's freshman quarterback,
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...
, was 21–of–32 for 244 yards and three touchdowns. McCoy was 19–of–26 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. McCoy threw one interception.
McCoy played the game with his throwing arm bandaged from mid-forearm to biceps. He held up physically despite taking four sacks
and a blind-side late hit after one play had been whistled dead.
With the loss, Texas opened conference play 0–2 for the first time since 1956, when they were in the Southwest Conference and one year before
Darrell Royal
Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an All-American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957â ...
became head coach of the Longhorns.
The Longhorns were in control of the Iowa State game almost from the very beginning and they routed the
Cyclones
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
56–3, the worst loss for the Cyclones since 1997.
Lined up in the spread offense on the first play from scrimmage,
Colt McCoy scrambled away from a blitz and threw a pass to
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley (born December 23, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. Shipley played college football for the University of Texas, and received consensus All-American recognition. He was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the t ...
for a 58-yard touchdown.
The offensive line provided great protection for Colt McCoy,
who called most of the plays without huddling and directed the Longhorns to touchdowns on his first five series.
He completed 23 of 30 passes for 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
His most athletic play came early in the third quarter when he evaded three defenders on a play from the Cyclones' 20-yard line. He twisted around and managed to stay upright long enough to throw a pass to Nate Jones in the end zone. He capped off his performance by making his first rushing touchdown of the season,
a career-long, 44-yard run in the third quarter. The play was designed to be a screen pass to the fullback. Mack Brown said, "Colt was as good today as I've ever seen him."
Brown also praised McCoy for taking on more of a leadership role with the team. The Austin American-Statesman said, "Colt McCoy is shedding his sophomore slump. In the past two games, he is 42 of 56 passing for 622 yards with six passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and just one interception. That translates to a quarterback rating of 200.1."
However, against Baylor on October 20, Colt would go on to throw 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown, and against Nebraska the following week, McCoy completed less than 50% of his passes and threw another interception. On the day after Thanksgiving, McCoy was 17 of 32 with 1 interception, while be sacked 4 times in the 38–30 loss to Texas A&M. At the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, Mccoy had thrown for 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
In the
2007 Holiday Bowl
The 2007 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 27, 2007 in San Diego. It was part of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of 32 games in the 2007–08 bowl season. It featured the Texa ...
, against
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 52–34 victory and won the offensive-player MVP award.
2008 season
On January 2, 2008, Texas
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
Jamaal Charles
Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he won the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third ro ...
decided to forgo his senior season with Texas in favor of the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
. With Charles' departure, McCoy became the leading returning rusher for the
2008 Longhorns.
McCoy rose in the record books during the first four games of the season. On August 30, 2008, McCoy passed for 222 yards and rushed for 103 yards against
FAU, becoming the second player in school history to pass for 200 and rush for 100 yards in more than one game; the other being
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...
. On September 20, McCoy surpassed the Texas All-Time record for the most passing TD's with 62 while beating
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
52–10. The record was previously held by
Major Applewhite
Major Lee Applewhite (born July 26, 1978) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the South Alabama Jaguars. He served as head coach at the University of Houston from ...
.
Through the first four games of 2008, McCoy completed 80% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 209.71. Leading the
2008 Texas Longhorns football team
The 2008 Texas Longhorn football team (variously "Texas" or the "Horns") represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who has a contract lasting through the ...
, McCoy and the Longhorns began the season with eight straight wins, including a win over then #1 Oklahoma, #6 Oklahoma State and #11 Missouri. His performance helped the Longhorns rise at one point to the #1 ranking in the national polls, although the Longhorns lost to
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
and finished ranked third in the BCS standings. In 2008 McCoy set school records for most career touchdown passes,
most touchdown passes in a season,
most total touchdowns by a Texas player,
most career wins,
and most career passing yards.
In addition to setting passing records, McCoy led the team with 561 yards rushing and eleven rushing touchdowns, establishing a reputation as a
dual threat quarterback.
![McCoy pass to Chris Ogbonnaya 2008-10-04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/McCoy_pass_to_Chris_Ogbonnaya_2008-10-04.JPG)
The Longhorns opened conference play against the
Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...
and Texas won 38–14. McCoy threw for two touchdowns and moved past
Ricky Williams
Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977) is an American former football running back who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
After playing baseball an ...
into second on Texas' all-time list for touchdowns responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving). McCoy at that point had 77, while Williams had 76 with the Horns. Texas continued conference play by defeating
#1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the 2008 Texas vs. Oklahoma football game. McCoy was 28 for 35 for 277 yards and one touchdown,
bringing Texas to the position of the #1 in the AP poll for the first time since 1984. (passing Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, and LSU.)
On October 18, against
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, McCoy completed the game with 337 yards on 29-of-32 passing with two touchdowns, rushed for two more and at one point completed a school-record 17 passes in a row. His completion ratio of 79% coming into the game improved as he completed 91% of his passes in this game. His four touchdowns put him in first place for the most career touchdowns scored at Texas (82), passing Vince Young (81).
![McCoy throwing pass vs Baylor 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/McCoy_throwing_pass_vs_Baylor_2008.jpg)
UT lost to
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
with one second remaining in the game. McCoy gave a good performance but came up short as his Red Raider counterpart,
Graham Harrell
Graham Stanton Harrell (born May 22, 1985) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played college football at Texas Tech from 2004 to 2008. He played in the C ...
had an outstanding day. Following that loss, Texas fell to #4 in the BCS rankings. They climbed to #3 the following week as the Horns beat Baylor and former #3 Penn State lost. The win over Baylor was the 829th win for the Texas football program, which tied Notre Dame for 2nd in the list of
college football's ten most victorious programs.
McCoy led the Longhorns to a 35–7 road victory over the
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, ensuring their eighth consecutive season with ten or more wins per season. That is the longest active streak in the nation and it ties them with Miami (1985–92) for the second-longest streak of all-time. It was Colt McCoy's 30th career win, which tied him with Vince Young for the school record.
McCoy completed 24 of 35 passing attempts (71%) for 255 yards and 2 touchdown passes. He was also the leading rusher for both schools, rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown.
McCoy's two touchdown passes put him at 31 for the season, breaking his own school record.
McCoy had another strong performance against in-state rival
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
in the final game of the regular season. This is the longest running rivalry both schools and the biggest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry occurred when Texas beat A&M 48–0 in 1898.
McCoy and the Longhorns nearly equaled that record this year by producing a 49–9 victory, the second-largest margin of victory for this rivalry series.
The win was the 31st in McCoy's collegiate career, setting a new school record.
McCoy rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 2 more. He completed 23 of 28 attempted passes (82%) for a total of 311 yards. That yardage put him at 3,594 yards for the season—another school record.
His longest pass of the evening, a 68-yarder on a post route to
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley (born December 23, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. Shipley played college football for the University of Texas, and received consensus All-American recognition. He was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the t ...
late in the third quarter, ended up a yard short of being McCoy's fifth touchdown of the evening. He finished the 2008 regular season with a 76.7% completion percentage, breaking the mark set by
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at UCF and was selected ...
for
Central Florida
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...
, and was the Longhorns' leading rusher with 576 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
On January 5, 2009, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 24–21 victory over
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...
. McCoy completed 41-of-59 passes for 414 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was named the Offensive Player of the Game for his performance. McCoy was named the 2008 AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
2009 season
In his final season, McCoy led the Texas Longhorns to a perfect 12–0 regular season record, as well as a 13–12 victory over the
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...
to win the Big 12 Championship, in
Cowboys Stadium
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the hom ...
. While becoming the most victorious quarterback in NCAA history with 45 career wins, McCoy was again the focal point of the Longhorn offense that scored 550 points in 2009, ranked third in UT All-Time season scoring (behind only the 2005 and 2008 teams). McCoy led a fast-paced offense, with accurate, short passes in his repertoire. The Texas offense executed a total of 1,053 plays in 14 games played in 2009. His favorite target was wide receiver
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley (born December 23, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. Shipley played college football for the University of Texas, and received consensus All-American recognition. He was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the t ...
(#8), who went on to play in the NFL with the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. He finished 3rd in Heisman Trophy voting in 2009.
McCoy left the
2010 BCS National Championship Game
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was ...
against
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
during Texas' first offensive drive early in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. McCoy was replaced by true freshman quarterback
Garrett Gilbert
Garrett Antone Gilbert (born July 1, 1991) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. The son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, he played college football at Texas and SMU.
Joining the NFL in 2014, Gilbert was primarily ass ...
. Alabama would go on to win the game 37–21. His record as a starter was 45–8.
College statistics
Records
* Alamo Bowl – Consecutive pass completions (11)
* Fiesta Bowl – Plays, game (66)
* Fiesta Bowl & BCS Bowl – Attempts, game (59)
* Fiesta Bowl & BCS Bowl – Completions, game (41)
* UT – Victories by a freshman (10)
* UT – Passing Yards by a freshman, season (2,570)
* UT – Passing Yards, Season (3,859) (November 27, 2008, vs. Texas A&M, surpassed Major Applewhite)
* UT – Passing Yards, Career (13,253)
* UT – Offensive Yards, Season (4,420)
* UT – Offensive Yards, Career (14,824)
* UT – Touchdown Passes by a freshman, game (6)
* UT – Touchdown Passes by a freshman, season (29)
* UT – Touchdown Passes, Game (6) (October 14, 2006, versus
Baylor)
* UT – Touchdown Passes, Season (34) (Broke own record of 29 on November 15, 2008, vs. the
Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...
)
* UT – Touchdown Passes, Career (112) (Broke record on September 20, 2008, versus
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
)
* UT – Total Touchdowns, Season (45)
* UT – Total Touchdowns, Career (132) (Broke record on October 18, 2008, versus
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
)
* UT – Total plays, Season (599)
* UT – Total plays, Career (2,092)
* UT – Passing Attempts, Game: (58) Tied, (January 5, 2009, versus
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...
),
surpassed by
Garrett Gilbert
Garrett Antone Gilbert (born July 1, 1991) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. The son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, he played college football at Texas and SMU.
Joining the NFL in 2014, Gilbert was primarily ass ...
in 2010
* UT – Passing Attempts, Season (470)
* UT – Passing Attempts, Career (1645)
* UT – Passing Completions by a freshman, Season (217)
* UT – Passing Completions, Game (41) (January 5, 2009, versus
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...
)
* UT – Passing Completions, Season (332)
* UT – Passing Completions, Career (1157)
* UT – Fastest to 1,000 yards in a single season (4 games) tied with
David Ash,
Major Applewhite
Major Lee Applewhite (born July 26, 1978) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the South Alabama Jaguars. He served as head coach at the University of Houston from ...
and
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
* UT – Consecutive Games with a Touchdown Pass (29)
* UT – Consecutive Games with two Touchdown Passes (8)
* UT – Games with a Touchdown Pass (48)
* UT – Games with two Touchdown Passes (34)
* UT – Highest Percentage of Completions, Game (minimum 20 attempts) (90.6%)
* UT – Consecutive Passing Completions, Game (18) (October 25, 2008, versus
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...
) (surpassed his own record of 17 on October 18, 2008, versus
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
).
* UT – Passing Efficiency, Season (173.8)
* UT – Passing Efficiency, Career (155.0)
* UT – Starts, Career (53)
* UT – Games by a quarterback, career (53)
* UT – Most 200 yard passing games, Season (12)
* UT – Most 200 yard passing games, Career (38)
* UT – Consecutive 300 passing yard games, (3)
* UT – Most 300 yard passing games, Season (6)
* UT – Most 300 yard passing games, Career (14)
* UT – Most 300 yard total offense games, Season (11)
* UT – Most 300 yard total offense games, Career (27)
* UT – Most 400 yard passing games, Season (1), tied with
Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms (born August 29, 1980) is an American sports analyst and former American football, football player. He was a quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in t ...
and Applewhite
* UT – Most 400 yard passing games, Career (2), tied with Applewhite
* UT – Most 400 yard total offense games, Season (3), broke his own record shared with Young
* UT – Most 400 yard total offense games, Career (5)
* Big 12 & UT – Highest Percentage of Completions, Season (minimum 200 attempts): 76.7%
* Big 12 & UT – Highest Percentage of Completions, Career (minimum 700 attempts): 70.3%
* NCAA, Big 12, & UT – Highest Single Season completion percentage: 76.7%.
* NCAA, Big 12, & UT – Career Wins by a Starting Quarterback: 45 (Took UT Record on November 27, 2008, vs. Texas A&M, surpassed Vince Young. Also most career wins in FBS history),
FBS record surpassed by
Kellen Moore
Kellen Christopher Moore (born July 5, 1988) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played six seasons in the NFL for the ...
of Boise State
* NCAA, Big 12, & UT – McCoy is one of three FBS quarterbacks to average 10 wins per season for four seasons.
* NCAA, Big 12, & UT – Touchdown passes by a freshman, 29, tied with
David Neill
College awards and honors
*
BCS national champion (
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
* 2006 "All freshman Team" by ''College Football News''
* 2006 "National Freshman of the Year" by ''
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' and the
Touchdown Club of Columbus
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More t ...
* 2006
Big 12
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...
Offensive Newcomer of the Year by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
.
* 2006
Valero Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP
* 2008
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP
* 2008 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press
* 2008 Second-team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press
* 2008
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...
by the
Walter Camp Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...
* 2008 First-team
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
by the Walter Camp Foundation,
FWAA
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
,
and
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
* 2008
Archie Griffin Award
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More th ...
* 2008 co-
Sporting News Player of the Year
* 2008
Heisman Memorial Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
Runner-up
* 2009
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been play ...
Offensive MVP
* 2009 Unanimous first-team
All-American, including first-team honors from by
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
,
AFCA,
FWAA
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
,
Walter Camp Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...
,
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
,
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
* 2009 First-team All-Big 12
* 2009 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
* 2009
NCAA Quarterback of the Year
* 2009
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...
* 2009
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...
* 2009
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since the 2004 football season to the collegiate American football quarterback as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States. It is the only quarterback award that incl ...
* 2009
Chic Harley Award
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More t ...
* 2009
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
* 2009
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...
by the
Walter Camp Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...
* 2009
''Sporting News'' College Athlete of the Year
* 2009
Heisman Memorial Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
Finalist, 3rd Place
* 2009
AT&T ESPN All-America Player of the Year
*
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
#12 retired
Candidate for Heisman and other national awards
McCoy was mentioned as a
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
candidate in his sophomore year (2006)
and he appeared on the Athlon Sports pre-season Heisman watch at the start of the 2007 season.
![Colt McCoy under center vs Rice cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Colt_McCoy_under_center_vs_Rice_cropped.jpg)
The talk became more widespread during his junior year as McCoy was mentioned by several analysts and voters as a potential 2008 Heisman winner. McCoy was the unanimous front-runner in an October 20 poll of 10 Heisman voters conducted by the ''Rocky Mountain News''.
Tim Tebow, quarterback of the
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
, had a vote as the 2007 winner. Seven games into the season he said that McCoy would have his vote at that point in the season.
In the 45–21 victory over Baylor, McCoy passed for 300 yards and five touchdowns.
The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
story commented, "And McCoy likely refueled his Heisman Trophy bid by completing 26 of 37 passes for his fourth 300-yard game this season, and eighth of his career, even without playing the final 12 minutes. The touchdowns went to four different receivers, though he did have two interceptions."
On November 11 (with UT holding an 8–1 record) Heisman voter Rodney Gilmore of ESPN.com had McCoy listed third of five Heisman candidates. Gilmore said, "I love his numbers (78 percent completion percentage, 28 touchdowns, only 7 interceptions and 2,879 yards) and his gutsy second-half performance against Texas Tech. And I have not forgotten about his epic performance against Oklahoma just a few weeks ago. However, Harrell outplayed McCoy head-to-head in the showdown last week, so Harrell has a leg up on him for now, but McCoy is within striking distance." That same day, the Rocky Mountain News poll listed Harrell first and McCoy second in their weekly poll of 10 Heisman voters. Harrell received 44 points and 7 first-place votes while McCoy had 34 points and 2 first-place votes.
On November 25, 2008, McCoy was named one of three finalists for the
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
, which is presented to the top all-around player in the country. The other finalists were Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the prior year's winner, and Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford was not selected as a finalist. McCoy also was named a finalist for the
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...
, which goes to the country's top quarterback. Bradford and Harrell were the other two candidates; Tebow did not make the list for this award.
After McCoy led the Longhorns to a victory over rival, unranked Texas A&M (a team he had lost to twice in the past), Sports Illustrated analyst
Stewart Mandel said the quarterback took a big step towards claiming the Heisman Trophy. Mandel wrote, "From the Longhorns' opening touchdown drive, in which he accounted for 67 of Texas' 80 yards, McCoy was very much the one-man wrecking crew he's been all season long...His final numbers in just over three quarters of work Thursday night: 23-of-28 passing for 311 yards and two touchdowns and 11 rushes for 49 yards, with touchdown runs of 16 and 14 yards. For the season, McCoy now has a 77.6 completion percentage (soon to be a new NCAA record) for 3,445 yards, 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions, plus 476 yards and 13 touchdowns running"
Comparing McCoy to fellow Big 12 South quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell, Mandel said, "But here's where McCoy stands out to me. Bradford, as talented as he is, is helped by the fact he has a trio of explosive receivers and two potential 1,000-yard rushers behind him. Harrell has Michael Crabtree. Daniel has Jeremy Maclin. With all due respect to Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby, McCoy is Texas' offense. Much like Tim Tebow last season, he's both his team's leading passer and rusher. Also like Tebow—you have to wonder sometimes how he's still standing. McCoy was sacked three times Thursday night and endured several brutal hits. Following his third-quarter touchdown run, trainers attended to his shoulder on the sideline. But he was right back in there the next series."
Bradford and Harrell each had one regular-season game left, against Oklahoma State and Baylor, respectively. Tebow had games remaining against Florida State and Alabama.
In the final 2008 Rocky Mountain News poll before the Heisman votes were announced, McCoy moved to the top of the list, but had a very thin lead over Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow, who were in second and third place, respectively. The poll had correctly predicted the Heisman winner in 18 of the previous 21 years. On December 10, McCoy, Bradford, and Tebow were selected as the three finalists for the Heisman Trophy.
Bradford won the trophy with 1,726 total points, and McCoy finished second with 1,604 points in the Heisman voting.
In 2009, McCoy was again in strong consideration for the Heisman, even with the two previous Heisman winners coming back for their senior seasons. At the start of the season he and Tebow were considered the favorites. But McCoy's numbers were down a little from 2008, and despite leading his team to the BCS Championship game, his chances of winning disappeared during a close 13–12 Big 12 Title game in which he threw 3 interceptions, no touchdowns and nearly threw the game away at the end. Despite this, he still had an outstanding season and was again named a finalist, this time along with Tim Tebow,
Mark Ingram, Jr
Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama Crimson Tide football, Alabama, where he was the first ...
,
Toby Gerhart
Tobin Bo Gunnar Gerhart (born March 28, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford University, and was a unanimous ...
and
Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Ngwa Suh ( , born January 6, 1987) is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska, where he earned All-American honors, and was drafte ...
. He became only the second Longhorn, along with Ricky Williams, to be a two-time Heisman finalist. He finished third behind Ingram and Gerhart.
Professional career
Pre-draft
In October 2008, McCoy said he would stay at Texas for his senior year instead of leaving for the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
. McCoy was quoted as saying, "I'm going to play here for four years. I've been blessed to be able to play here. Not very many people get to
tart
A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with ...
here for four years, so what an opportunity. And if the NFL is there for me, then I hope that I'll get to keep playing, because I love to play this game. Hopefully, it will work out."
After a 49–9 victory over Texas A&M on November 27, 2008, McCoy said that he still intended to come back for his senior year, but that it would be "foolish" for him not to ask the NFL to evaluate his draft prospects.
McCoy said that if he were rated a first- or second-round draft pick, he might change his mind about staying. McCoy said, "But at the same time, I want to play four years here. Not very many people have had the opportunity to do that. That's something that's real special to me and important to me."
On December 8, 2008, after the Longhorns learned they had been
passed over for the national championship game, McCoy said he would return to the team for his senior year. McCoy indicated he wanted to play for a national championship. He also said, "I'm coming back because we have a solid coaching staff, and I'm coming back because I feel like I can develop the young receivers we have."
McCoy injured his throwing arm in the BCS title game against Alabama with a pinched nerve. He announced he would not attend the NFL Combine and instead performed during the University of Texas pro workout day. Opinions over McCoy's potential in the NFL were mixed. Frank Cooney of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' noted that McCoy "fired mostly from a shotgun, has a low release point and might lack an NFL fastball." He was listed by Cooney as the 3rd best QB draft choice in 2010, behind Sam Bradford and
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
.
Prior to the draft, McCoy said he had "no expectations".
Cleveland Browns
2010
![Colt McCoy taking snap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Colt_McCoy_taking_snap.jpg)
McCoy was drafted in the third round as the 85th overall pick by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
in the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...
. The Browns previously traded linebacker
Kamerion Wimbley
Kamerion Wimbley (born October 13, 1983) is a former American football outside linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 13th ove ...
to the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in order to acquire the pick used to select McCoy. One reporter commented that McCoy was drafted later than expected because "he lacks NFL size..., has small hands and was injured in the last game of his career at Texas." In response to being chosen by Cleveland, McCoy said, "I can't wait to be a Cleveland Brown and that we're going to win a lot of games. Cleveland has a little orange in their jerseys just like UT. It's a perfect fit."
On July 23, McCoy agreed to terms on a four-year, $5 million contract.
Pointing out that Cleveland already had three quarterbacks, Browns president
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren (born June 15, 1948) is a former American football coach and executive. He began his NFL career as a quarterbacks' coach and later as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, where they won Super Bowls XXII ...
said McCoy would likely not play his first season with the team in order to develop him as an NFL quarterback. However, due to injuries to starting quarterback
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme (; born January 10, 1975) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Delhomme played college football at Louisiana, then known as the University of Southwestern Louisian ...
and back-up
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Sinclair Wallace (born August 6, 1980) is a former American football quarterback and current assistant coach for John Paul II High School. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college ...
, McCoy made his first career start against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in Week 6. McCoy completed 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the Browns' loss. He also scrambled four times for 22 yards. McCoy started the following week against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
and contributed to the surprising victory over the defending Super Bowl champions 30–17 at the
Louisiana Superdome
The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...
in New Orleans. On November 7, McCoy made his third consecutive start and led the Browns to another upset victory, this time against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
34–14. He started again on November 14 against the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
; however the Browns lost in overtime with McCoy throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown. McCoy injured his ankle in Week 11 against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
and missed the next three weeks before returning to start under center against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in Week 15. McCoy threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, but Cleveland lost. In each of the final two games against the division rival
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
and Pittsburgh Steelers, McCoy threw three interceptions as the Browns lost both games. McCoy finished his rookie season starting 8 games, with a 2–6 record, and with six touchdowns against nine interceptions.
2011
![Colt McCoy 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Colt_McCoy_2012.jpg)
After a long-awaited pre-season after the agreements from the
NFL lockout
The NFL lockout may refer to any of the lockouts or strikes in the history of the National Football League:
* The 1968 NFL strike/lockout, which lasted 12 days before the start of the 1968 season.
* The 1970 NFL strike/lockout, which lasted a ...
, and the release of Delhomme, McCoy became the starter for the Browns. In the home opener against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, McCoy completed 19 of 40 attempts for 213 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 27–17 loss. The next two weeks, the Browns defeated the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
and the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
with McCoy throwing combined 41 of 71 attempts, 421 yards, and three touchdowns with one interception. Against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
in Week 5, McCoy threw one touchdown and one interception in a 13–31 loss. After a bye week, McCoy and the Browns lost to the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
17–24, McCoy threw for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. After the loss to the Raiders, the Browns played the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
and won 6–3 as McCoy finished with 178 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in Week 14, McCoy threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 3–14 loss where McCoy would also sustain a concussion. His father raised eyebrows when he questioned whether or not McCoy's team had properly evaluated him for the concussion prior to returning to the game. McCoy stated that he did not remember anything. James Harrison, the Steelers player responsible for the helmet-to-helmet hit on McCoy, was suspended for the Steelers' next game against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
.
2012
McCoy spent the 2012 season backing up Browns' rookie first round pick
Brandon Weeden
Brandon Kyle Weeden (born October 14, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. After pursuing a baseball career from 2002 to 2006, Weeden enrolled at Oklahoma State to pla ...
. When Weeden was injured against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, McCoy completed 9 of 17 pass attempts for 79 yards.
San Francisco 49ers
On April 1, 2013, the Browns traded McCoy and a 2013 sixth round pick to the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in exchange for San Francisco's fifth and seventh round picks in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Washington Redskins
McCoy signed with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on April 3, 2014. On October 19, 2014, against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, McCoy replaced
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...
after halftime, with Washington trailing 10–6 and Cousins having caused two turnovers. On his first pass, McCoy completed a 70-yd touchdown pass to
Pierre Garçon
Pierre Andre Garçon (; born August 8, 1986) is a former American Football wide receiver. He played college football at Norwich University and Mount Union College, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Dra ...
. McCoy then went on to lead the Redskins on a game-winning drive, winning the game 19–17. On October 27, 2014, McCoy was named the starter over Cousins, and had his first start on the team against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. In his first start since 2011, McCoy completed 25 of 30 passes for 300 yards with a rushing touchdown and an interception, earning an overtime victory against the Cowboys, his favorite team growing up. The team benched him for injured starting quarterback
Robert Griffin III
Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...
after McCoy's two victories. The team lost the next 3 games without McCoy. On November 25, it was reported that McCoy would replace the benched Griffin III in the November 30 game against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. McCoy was placed on injured reserve on December 16 due to a neck injury he suffered in a shutout loss to the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
.
![Colt McCoy 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Colt_McCoy_2015.jpg)
McCoy re-signed with Washington on March 17, 2015. He spent the regular season as
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...
' backup, getting into two games and going 7-for-11 for 128 yards and one touchdown for the 2015 season. McCoy signed a three-year contract extension with Washington on March 9, 2016, signing a one-year extension once that ran out on July 26, 2018.
In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, McCoy saw only four offensive snaps as the backup to Kirk Cousins.
On November 18, 2018, McCoy replaced an injured
Alex Smith
Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...
against the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. His first throw was an eight-yard touchdown pass to
Jordan Reed
Jordan Reed (born July 3, 1990) is a former American football tight end who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the third round of the 20 ...
. He was named the starter the following week after the season-ending injury to Smith. In Week 13 against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, McCoy left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury during a sack by
Malcolm Jenkins
Malcolm Jenkins (born December 20, 1987) is a former American football safety who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, earning consensus All-American honors, and winning the Jim ...
. He missed the next three games before being placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2018. He completed 34 of 54 passes for 372 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in three games played that season.
Prior to Week 5 of the 2019 season, McCoy was named the starting quarterback over
Case Keenum
Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing ...
. In Week 5 against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, McCoy threw for 122 yards and one interception in the 33–7 loss. The Patriots game was McCoy's lone appearance of the 2019 season
New York Giants
On March 26, 2020, McCoy signed with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. McCoy made his first appearance for the Giants in Week 12 against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
after starter
Daniel Jones left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. McCoy was then named the starter for the Giants’ Week 13 matchup against the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
after Jones was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Against the Seahawks, McCoy threw for 105 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Giants upset the Seahawks 17–12, giving McCoy his first win since 2014. McCoy also started against his former team the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
in Week 15 where he threw for 221 yards in a 20–6 loss.
Arizona Cardinals
McCoy signed a one-year deal with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
on March 30, 2021. In Week 9 with quarterback
Kyler Murray
Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M, Murray played college football at University of Okl ...
ruled out, McCoy was named the starter against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He completed 22 out of 26 passes with one touchdown as the Cardinals won, 31–17. He started in three games for the Cardinals in the 2021 season, going 2–1 and passing for three touchdowns and one interception.
On March 14, 2022, McCoy signed a two-year contract extension with the Cardinals. On September 7, 2022, McCoy was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury. He was activated on October 15. In Week 10, McCoy made the start in place of Murray. He passed for 238 yards and a touchdown in the 27–17 victory over the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
.
NFL career statistics
Personal life
Colt McCoy is often called "
the real McCoy
"The real McCoy" is an idiom and metaphor used in much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article", e.g. "he's the real McCoy". The phrase has been the subject of numerous false etymologies.
History
The phr ...
" in media features because of his performance on the field, his leadership, and his personality. While in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, he was active in the University of Texas community service program, including visits to the Austin's Children's Hospital and volunteering at the
Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) (French: Réseau Enfants-Santé (RES)) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of 10 million children each ...
telethon. He also took a trip to
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
for missionary work and to visit hospital patients. On May 29, 2006, he swam 300 yards across a lake to help save the life of Ken Herrington who was having a
seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
on a small dock that extended into the privately owned lake.
McCoy has also extended a hearty healthy message to the children of Central Texas by joining the ambassadors of Scott & White Hospital Pediatric Division as they transitioned into new facilities in
Temple, Texas
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census, and is one of the two principal cities in Bell County.
Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in t ...
, in 2010 and
Killeen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal city ...
, in 2011.
McCoy enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing golf.
He is also known for his love of raw milk, sometimes drinking up to a gallon a day. He was the roommate of his favorite
receiving target at Texas,
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley (born December 23, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. Shipley played college football for the University of Texas, and received consensus All-American recognition. He was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the t ...
. McCoy's father was the roommate of Shipley's father at
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...
(ACU).
Colt's younger brother
Case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Containers
* Case (goods), a package of related merchandise
* Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component
* Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books
* Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...
and Jordan's younger brother
Jaxon
Jaxon may refer to:
*Jaxon (name), given name and surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Jaxon (cartoonist), American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer
*Jaxon (musician) (David Jackson, born 1947), English progressive ro ...
were also roommates at the University of Texas and played the same positions as Colt and Jordan. McCoy's grandfather, Burl McCoy, is a member of the
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...
Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits as both an athlete and as the former women's basketball coach. McCoy's younger brother Chance McCoy was a
wide receiver at
ACU.
McCoy is a member of the
Churches of Christ
The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament.
T ...
and attended Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, Texas. When living in
Buffalo Gap, he attended and was very involved with the Oldham Lane Church of Christ. McCoy has participated in a church youth group since 2002.
His work has included landscaping yards for the elderly, visiting nursing homes, helping with
meals on wheels
Meals on Wheels is a programme that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programmes, not all of which are actually named ...
, and ministry.
On January 12, 2010, McCoy became engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Glandorf, a former middle-distance track and field athlete for Baylor University, by proposing on the video scoreboard at
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Darrell is a given name derived from an English surname, which was derived from Norman-French , originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. There are no longer any towns in France called Airelle, but is the French word for huckleberr ...
in Austin. Their marriage took place on July 17, 2010. They have two daughters and a son.
See also
*
List of Texas Longhorns football All-Americans
This is a list of college football All-Americans who have played at the University of Texas at Austin.
Key
''* Denotes Consensus All-America Selection''
''‡ Denotes Unanimous All-America Selection''
All-Americans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas Longho ...
*
List of Division I FBS passing yardage leaders
*
List of Division I FBS passing touchdown leaders
References
External links
Arizona Cardinals bioTexas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Colt
1986 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football quarterbacks
American members of the Churches of Christ
Arizona Cardinals players
Cleveland Browns players
New York Giants players
People from Buffalo Gap, Texas
People from Hobbs, New Mexico
Players of American football from New Mexico
Players of American football from Texas
San Francisco 49ers players
Sportspeople from Abilene, Texas
Texas Longhorns football players
Washington Redskins players