Kyle Erickson Mackey (born March 2, 1962) 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 ...
coach and former quarterback who played for 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 ...
,
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
,
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 ...
, 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 ...
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 ...
. He was also an
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
player, who played quarterback for the
Albany Firebirds
The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League. The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana ...
and the
Fort Worth Cavalry
The Fort Worth Cavalry was an Arena Football League team which operated for a single season, 1994, in the National Conference. The league did not want to abandon the idea of having a franchise in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, a major media ma ...
. He played college football at
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a public university in Commerce, Texas. With an enrollment of over 12,000 students as of fall 2017, the university is the third-largest institution in the Texas A&M University System. Founded in 1889, the inst ...
from 1980–1983 where he was an All-American and led the Lions to the 1983 Lone Star Conference Championship. His father was
Dee Mackey
Dee Elbert Mackey (October 16, 1934February 26, 2001) was an American football tight end who played professionally for six seasons in the National Football League and the American Football League. He played for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers (19 ...
, a former tight end for the New York Jets.
Early life
Mackey was born in
Gladewater, Texas
Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census population of 6,134.
In the early 20th century, Gladewater was an oil boom town. In 1995, the Texas Legislature proclaimed it the "Antique Capital of ...
and lived part of his life in
Alpine, Texas when his father was a high school coach after leaving the NFL. His family moved back to East Texas before his high school years. As a student (at
Spring Hill High School in
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and county seat of Gregg County, Texas, Gregg County; a small part of Longview extends into the western portion of neighboring Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County. Longview is located in East Tex ...
) he set multiple passing records and was selected to the all-state team in both his Junior and Senior years. Mackey accepted an athletic scholarship to Texas A&M-Commerce (then East Texas State University) where he was to play both Football and Basketball.
College career
Freshman Season
Mackey played for the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions from 1980–1983. As a Freshman in 1980, he backed up All-American and future All-Pro
Wade Wilson, a year in which the Lions were NAIA National Semifinalists.
Sophomore Season
Mackey took over at the starting spot during the 1981 season. He led the Lions to a 7–4 record and a fifth-place finish in the Lone Star Conference, throwing for 2.074 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was an Honorable Mention All Lone Star Conference Selection.
Junior Season
As a Junior Mackey threw for 1,667 yards and 11 touchdowns and led the Lions to a 6–4 record, good enough for LSC conference runner-up (2nd place). He was a First-team All Lone Star Conference Selection and also was named to 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 ...
All-American team.
Senior Season
As a Senior in 1983 Mackey led the Lions to a share of the Lone Star Conference Championship with an 8–2 record, throwing for 1,960 yards and 14 touchdowns and was named the LSC Second-team All-Conference team. During his time in Commerce he established himself as an athletic roll-out passer who was a dual threat either running or throwing the football. His career numbers were 5,814 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes and a 21–10 record as a starter.
NFL career
Mackey was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1984 NFL draft, being selected in the 11th round as the 296th overall pick. In his two-year National Football League career as a backup quarterback for 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 ...
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 ...
, Mackey passed for 729 yards and 3 touchdowns, rushed for 563 yards, and threw 6 interceptions. Mackey started for the Dolphins 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 ...
during Week 4 of the 1987 NFL season as a replacement player due to the
National Football League Players Association
The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director De ...
strike.
[100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.188]
Arena Football League career
Kyle Mackey ended his Arena Football League career completing 187 of 346 passes attempted (54.0% of passes completed), 2,253 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, only 14 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 81.96.
Coaching career
Mackey is now coaching the Tigers of
Silsbee High School in
Hardin County, Texas
Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,231. The county seat is Kountze. The county is named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas.
Hardin ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackey, Kyle
1962 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football players
Miami Dolphins players
New York Jets players
Albany Firebirds players
Fort Worth Cavalry players
Texas A&M–Commerce Lions men's basketball players
National Football League replacement players
American men's basketball players