Richard James McKay (born March 16, 1959) is an American football executive who is the president and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
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). 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
Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tennis ...
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
Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately east of d ...
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 the ...
. 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
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
the 1976–1977 season. He earned his bachelor's degree from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1981 and graduated from
Stetson University College of Law
Stetson University College of Law (Stetson Law), founded in 1900 and part of Stetson University, is Florida's first law school. Originally located near the university's main campus in DeLand, Florida, the law school moved in 1954 to Gulfport, Fl ...
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
NFC may refer to:
Psychology
* Need for cognition, in psychology
* Need for closure, social psychological term
Sports
* NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game
* NCAA Football Championship (Philippines)
* Nati ...
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 be ...
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 football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sapp played college football at Miami, where h ...
,
Mike Alstott
Michael Joseph Alstott (born December 21, 1973), is a former American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nicknamed "A-Train", he played college football at Purdue an ...
,
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, wh ...
, and
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 ...
. 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
The 1995 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Th ...
– 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, coach ...
. 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 se ...
.
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 plays ...
. 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
Arthur M. Blank (born September 27, 1942) is an American businessman and a co-founder of the home improvement retailer The Home Depot.
He also currently owns two professional sports teams based in Atlanta, Georgia - the Atlanta Falcons of the Na ...
, 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 (U.S. state), 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 ...
, 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 The National Football League Competition Committee was created in 1968 following the announcement of the AFL-NFL merger. It replaced the NFL Rules Committee, which was formed in 1932 when the NFL adopted its own rulebook. Prior to 1932 the NFL us ...
(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
The 2011 National Football League Player lockout was a work stoppage imposed by the owners of the NFL's 32 teams that lasted from March 12, 2011, to July 25, 2011. When the owners and the NFL players, represented by the National Football League ...
, 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
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 DeM ...
. 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