Richard James McKay (born March 16, 1959) is an American football executive who is the president and
CEO of the
Atlanta Falcons 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 ma ...
(NFL). Prior to joining the Falcons, he was the general manager of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
from 1994 to 2003 and was a part of their
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cham ...
-winning season.
Early years
McKay is the youngest son of the late
John McKay, who was the Buccaneers' first head coach. McKay was a
ball boy for the Buccaneers when his father was the head coach. While his father was head coach at USC in Los Angeles, McKay played quarterback at
Bishop Amat High School in
La Puente, California
La Puente ( Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
The original inhabitants of th ...
. When John McKay took the Tampa Bay job he moved his family, including son Rich, to Florida where McKay played quarterback his senior year at
Jesuit High School of Tampa the 1976–1977 season. He earned his bachelor's degree from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...
in 1981 and graduated from
Stetson University College of Law in 1984. Prior to entering the NFL, McKay was an attorney with the Tampa law firm of Hill, Ward, and Henderson. He and his wife, Terrin, have two sons, Hunter and John.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As the general manager for the Buccaneers from 1994 to 2003, McKay directed six teams that reached the
NFC playoffs and one team that won a Super Bowl title. In 1996, McKay hired
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Dungy's teams b ...
as head coach, and in 1999 the Bucs played in the
NFC Championship game
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world ...
.
During his tenure as general manager, McKay
drafted players such as
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp (born December 19, 1972) is an American former American football, football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sapp played college footbal ...
,
Mike Alstott,
Ronde Barber
Jamael Orondé "Rondé" Barber (born April 7, 1975) is an American former football cornerback who spent his entire 16-year professional career playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He is the identical twin ...
,
Derrick Brooks
Derrick Dewan Brooks (born April 18, 1973) is an American former football outside linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college football at Florida State, where ...
, and
Warrick Dunn. McKay constructed the
2002 Buccaneers' Super Bowl-winning roster that featured seven
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
players. The Buccaneers' 41 Pro Bowl selections between 1997 through 2002 were the most in the NFL.
Sapp and Brooks – both selected by McKay in the first round of the
1995 NFL Draft – are now both members of the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coac ...
. Sapp was enshrined in 2013; Brooks in 2014. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, McKay is the only general manager in NFL history to have his first two draft picks as a GM be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In 1998, McKay, then President and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, worked closely with the Glazer Family, the city of Tampa, former Tampa Mayor
Dick Greco, and Tampa Stadium Authority on the successful construction and opening of
Raymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football program. The s ...
.
Atlanta Falcons
In December 2003, McKay left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become president and general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. In his first season of directing operations, the Falcons went to the
NFC Championship game
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world ...
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 play ...
. In January 2008, the Falcons hired
Thomas Dimitroff as general manager, relegating McKay to the position of team president, although McKay negotiated
Matt Ryan's contract. McKay's
Falcons in 2010–11 had 9
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
ers.
Sixteen years after building Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, McKay, as President and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons, worked closely with Falcons Chairman and owner
Arthur Blank, the city of Atlanta, and the Georgia World Congress Center stadium authority to secure approval and financing for the Falcons to build a new $1.2 billion stadium in downtown Atlanta. The Falcons broke ground on the new building on May 19, 2014, and the stadium, known as
Mercedes Benz Stadium
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in August 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it serves as the home stadium of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) ...
, opened on August 26, 2017.
McKay is believed to be the only current NFL executive who has been the point person for the negotiations and construction of two NFL stadiums.
On January 9th, 2023 McKay's position with the Atlanta Falcons was changed as just the CEO. Greg Beadles was selected to take over as president. McKay remains in charge of football operations while Beadles operates the business side.
NFL committees
McKay is the longest standing member in the history of the
NFL Competition Committee (26 consecutive years, 22 of which he has served in the chairmanship role), making him one of the more influential executives in the league.
McKay has served on the NFL Management Council Working Group of League executives that helps advise on collective bargaining issues. During the
2011 NFL lockout, McKay helped in negotiating a new
collective bargaining agreement
A collective agreement, collective labour agreement (CLA) or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written contract negotiated through collective bargaining for employees by one or more trade unions with the management of a company (or with an ...
with the
NFLPA. McKay is also a member of the NFL's Health & Safety Committee.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Rich
1959 births
Living people
Atlanta Falcons executives
Tampa Bay Buccaneers executives
National Football League general managers
National Football League team presidents
Princeton University alumni
Stetson University College of Law alumni
Sportspeople from Eugene, Oregon
Jesuit High School (Tampa) alumni