Colt McCoy
Encyclopedia
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback
for the Cleveland Browns
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at the University of Texas at Austin
.
McCoy was the starting quarterback for the Longhorns from 2006–2009 and won the 2008 Walter Camp Award
and was the 2008 Heisman Trophy
runner-up. McCoy won more games as an FBS quarterback (45) than anyone else in NCAA Division I history (since broken by Boise State's Kellen Moore).
In his senior year, he won 13 of the top 15 major college player awards including quarterback of the year, offensive player of the year and outstanding football player of the year.
After sitting out the 2005 Longhorn season as a redshirt
, McCoy was the starting quarterback for the 2006 Longhorn team
. 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. Subsequently, in the 2006 Alamo Bowl
on December 30, McCoy threw two touchdowns against University of Iowa
to tie Nevada's
David Neill
for second place for freshman touchdowns in a single season. Also during the 2006 season, McCoy was named College Football News
Big 12 Player of the Year and was named the quarterback to their "All Freshman Team". Injuries caused him to miss portions of the final two regular season games, but was able to play for the entire duration of the Longhorns' bowl game
.
Leading the 2007 Longhorns
, McCoy was somewhat less consistent. Through the first five games he threw nine interceptions — two more than he threw in the entire 2006 season. He went on to throw 18 interceptions during the 2007 season.
Leading the 2008 Texas Longhorn football team
, McCoy and the Longhorns began the season with 8 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 UT lost to Texas Tech University 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 11 rushing touchdowns, establishing a reputation as a dual threat quarterback. McCoy was named the 2008 AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
. He attended Jim Ned High School
in Tuscola, Texas
, population 714, where he was coached in football by his father, Brad McCoy. 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. However, after he suffered a concussion on a tackle by 215-pound Bangs High School
running back Jack Tripper (not to be confused with the Houston Texans wide receiver of the same name, nor with the character from the TV show Three's Company
), 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. While attending Jim Ned High School he also earned letters in track and basketball.
, he was given a redshirt
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, he was officially listed as the number three quarterback behind Vince Young
and Matt Nordgren. Instead of Colt, Brown chose to play Matt Nordgren in four separate game situations where Texas had a commanding lead. This led to confusion on the parts of many sportscasters, as they would mistakenly refer to Nordgren as Matt McCoy whenever Matt would enter a game since Colt was third on the depth chart. With Young forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL, and with Nordgren graduating, the position of starting quarterback for the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns fell to Colt McCoy for the 2006 football season after he won the job over true freshman Jevan Snead
.
2006 season was the year for Colt McCoy as he finally became the starter for the University of Texas.In the season opener on September 2, 2006, he led the Longhorns to a 56–7 victory over North Texas, throwing three touchdown passes, rushing one yard for a touchdown, and throwing no interceptions. He was 12-19 in passing, and ran for 27 yards to help set up a touchdown. During the game, McCoy threw a 60 yard touchdown pass on only his second pass as a college quarterback. He was the first Texas freshman quarterback to start and win a season-opening game since Bobby Layne
in 1944. The next week, the Longhorns faced #1 Ohio State
at home. McCoy went 19-32, 156 yards, one TD, and one INT 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
, Iowa State
, and Sam Houston State, McCoy got his first win over a ranked team, as well as his first come-from-behind victory, when he threw two touchdowns, and led the Longhorns to defeat Oklahoma 28–10 in the Red River Shootout on October 7, 2006.
The two touchdowns by McCoy gave him 12 touchdown passes for the season, tied for third with Longhorn passer James Brown 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 (set vs. Baylor in 1994) and Chris Simms
(vs. Oklahoma State
in 2001). On October 25, 2006, he was 9th in the nation with a quarterback rating of 165.4.
In the 2006 Oklahoma State 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 TD's shy of the NCAA single season record for freshman quarterbacks (29). Coincidentally, this 27th pass was also for 27 yards.
During the November 11, 2006, game against Kansas State
, McCoy suffered a stinger
shoulder injury while rushing for a touchdown against Kansas State. The Longhorns lost in an upset to 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
on November 24, 2006. However, McCoy was cleared to play the game against the Aggies.
With 20 seconds remaining in the Lone Star Showdown versus the Aggies, McCoy was injured by a "vicious, stadium-hushing tackle" as Aggie defensive end
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 Breckenridge Hospital where he spent more than three hours undergoing an evaluation that included an X-Ray
, MRI, and a CAT scan. 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", said Dr. Carey Windler, the team's orthopedic surgeon.
On December 1, 2006, the Longhorns issued a statement confirming that back-up quarterback Jevan Snead had left the team and would transfer to an unspecified school; this meant there would be no scholarship quarterback ready 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
for Texas on Saturday, December 30. in the 2006 Alamo Bowl
on December 30, McCoy threw two touchdowns against Iowa
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
in the 2007 season.
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
quarterback Stephen McGee
and TCU
defensive end Tommy Blake
. Additionally, Rivals.com
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
announced that McCoy had been named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award
. 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 12 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
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 and Coaches Poll
, to a 21–13 victory over unranked Arkansas State
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
.
The road opener was the first game ever played in the new home stadium
of the UCF Knights
. 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
and by Major Applewhite
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 4 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
; 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
selected him as one of the season's 10 "Most Disappointing College Players" and noted that he 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 the Longhorns lost again the following week, in the 2007 Red River Shootout. The game was a back-and-forth affair that was ultimately won by Oklahoma
28–21. OU's freshman quarterback, Sam Bradford
, was 21–of–32 for 244 yards and 3 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
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
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
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-yardline. 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
, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 52–34 victory and won the offensive-player MVP award.
Jamaal Charles
decided to forgo his senior season with Texas in favor of joining the NFL as a professional football player in the 2008 NFL Draft
. 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 2nd player in UT history to pass for 200 and rush for 100 yards in more than one game; the other being Vince Young
. On September 20 Colt McCoy surpassed the Texas All-Time record for the most passing TD's with 62 while beating Rice
52–10. The record was previously held by Major Applewhite
. Through the first four games of 2008, McCoy completed 80% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 209.71.
The Longhorns opened conference play against the Colorado Buffaloes
and UT won 38–14. McCoy threw for two touchdowns and moved past Ricky Williams
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. UT 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
, 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 alone in first place for the most career touchdowns scored at Texas (82), passing Vince Young (81).
UT lost to Texas Tech
with one second remaining in the game. McCoy gave a good performance but came up short as his Red Raider counterpart, Graham Harrell
had an outstanding day. Following that loss, UT 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 UT 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
, 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 great performance against in-state rival Texas A&M 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 for Colt McCoy, setting a new school record. McCoy rushed for 2 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, 68 yarder on a post route to Jordan Shipley
late in the third quarter, ended up a yard short of being McCoy’s fifth touchdown of the evening.
On January 5, 2009, McCoy led the Longhorns to 24–21 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl
. 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 left the 2010 BCS National Championship Game
against Alabama
during 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
. Alabama would go on to win the game 37-21.
In the seventh game of 2008, he completed 91%. He finished the 2008 regular season with a 76.7% completion percentage, breaking the mark set by Daunte Culpepper
for Central Florida, and was the Longhorns' leading rusher with 576 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
candidate in his freshman year (2006) and he appeared on the Athlon Sports pre-season Heisman watch at the start of the 2007 season.
The talk has become more widespread his junior year as McCoy has been 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
, has 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 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 TDs, 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.
After Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford barely took the lead in the Rocky Mountain News poll of 10 Heisman Trophy voters. The Austin American-Statesman reported, "Bradford leads Texas’ Colt McCoy by just one point. In terms of first-place votes, Bradford received five, while McCoy received three. The others went to Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, who had led the poll since Tech’s win over Texas, and Florida’s Tim Tebow, last year’s Heisman winner."
On November 25, 2008 Colt McCoy was named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award
, which is presented to the top all-around player in the country. The other finalists were Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, last 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
, 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 Colt McCoy led the Longhorns to a defeat 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 TDs 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.
. 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 [start] 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 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.
Prior to the draft, McCoy said he had "no expectations".
in the 2010 NFL Draft
. 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 has three quarterbacks, Browns president Mike Holmgren
said McCoy would likely not play his first season with the team in order to develop him as an NFL quarterback. However, because injuries to starting quarterback Jake Delhomme
and back-up Seneca Wallace
, McCoy made his first career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers
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
and contributed to the surprising victory over the defending Super Bowl champions 30-17 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
34-14. He then started again on November 14 against the New York Jets
; 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
and missed the next three weeks before returning to start under center against the Cincinnati Bengals
in week 15. McCoy threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions, but Cleveland faced defeat. In each of the final two games against division rivals Baltimore
and Pittsburgh, McCoy threw 3 interceptions as the Browns lost both games. McCoy finished the season with 6 touchdowns against 9 interceptions.
, McCoy found a familiar offense with the Browns because of the similarities it shared with the Texas offensive game plan, the West Coast offense under new head coach Pat Shurmur
. After a long awaited pre-season after the agreements from the NFL lockout, and the release of Delhomme, McCoy showed an impressive performance during the pre-season becoming starter for the Browns. He showed a tremendous effort during the Browns home opener against the Bengals, McCoy threw 19 for 40 attempts throwing 213 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The next two weeks, the Browns defeated the Indianapolis Colts
and the Miami Dolphins
with McCoy throwing combined 41 of 71 attempts, 421 yards, and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception during the two back to back wins. Week 5 was a tough week for McCoy, although throwing 40 for 61 attempts, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, the Browns had a devastating loss to the Tennessee Titans
, 31-13. After a bye week, McCoy and the Browns lost to the Oakland Raiders
24-17, McCoy had 21 for 45 attempts, throwing 215 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. After the loss to the Oakland Raiders
the Browns played the Seattle Seahawks
and won 6-3. Neither team scored a touchdown and McCoy threw for 20 for 35 attempts for 178 yards and 1 interception
on a small dock that extended into the privately owned lake.
While in Austin, Texas
, Colt is active in the UT community service program including visits to the Austin's Children's Hospital and volunteering at the Children's Miracle Network
telethon. McCoy also took a trip to Peru to take care of some missionary work and he also visited hospital patients. Colt McCoy was the roommate of his favorite receiving target at Texas Jordan Shipley
. McCoy's father was the roommate of Shipley's father at Abilene Christian University
. McCoy has already extended a generous hearty healthy message to the children of Central Texas by joining the ambassadors of Scott & White Hospital Pediatric Division as plans for transitioning into new facilities begins in Temple, Texas
in 2010 and Killeen, Texas
in 2011.
McCoy is a member of the Church of Christ, and attended Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, Texas. When living in Buffalo Gap, Texas
, Colt 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
and ministry. Fellow quarterback Tim Tebow
said of McCoy, "I was really proud of him because I think he represents college football and his faith extremely well, too, which I really respect as well. I think he's done a good job with everything he's going through."
His grandfather, Burl McCoy, is a member of the Abilene Christian University (ACU) Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits both as an athlete and as the former women's basketball coach. Colt McCoy's younger brother Chance McCoy was a wide receiver
at ACU
, while his youngest brother Case McCoy is currently in his sophomore year as the starting quarterback at the University of Texas. His mother's side of the family lives near Houston
and his father's family mostly resides in Totowa, New Jersey
.
Some media features on Colt McCoy refer to him jokingly as "The Real McCoy
" because of his performance on the field as well as his leadership and personality.
In October 2009, a personal testimony about Colt's faith in Christ was added to the I Am Second
video testimony series which includes other famous people such as Josh Hamilton, Joe Gibbs
, Tony Dungy
, Stephen Baldwin
, Jason Castro, Sam Bradford
, Jason Witten
, Brian Welch
, Darrell Waltrip
, and Mike Huckabee
.
On January 12, 2010, Colt became engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Glandorf, former middle-distance Track and Field athlete for Baylor University, by proposing on the screen at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. They were married on July 17, 2010.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
McCoy was the starting quarterback for the Longhorns from 2006–2009 and won the 2008 Walter Camp Award
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 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
and was the 2008 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
runner-up. McCoy won more games as an FBS quarterback (45) than anyone else in NCAA Division I history (since broken by Boise State's Kellen Moore).
In his senior year, he won 13 of the top 15 major college player awards including quarterback of the year, offensive player of the year and outstanding football player of the year.
After sitting out the 2005 Longhorn season as a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
, McCoy was the starting quarterback for the 2006 Longhorn team
2006 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2006 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Mack Brown, who received the 2006 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award for "Coach of the Year". The Longhorns play their home games in...
. 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. Subsequently, in the 2006 Alamo Bowl
2006 Alamo Bowl
The 2006 Alamo Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, part of the 2006–2007 bowl season of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 2006 Alamo Bowl was played in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on December 30....
on December 30, McCoy threw two touchdowns against University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
to tie Nevada's
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
David Neill
David Neill
David Neill was an American college football quarterback for the University of Nevada. In 1998 he set an NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a season by a freshman with 29 thrown. This record was tied in 2006 by Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns, and broken the following season by Sam...
for second place for freshman touchdowns in a single season. Also during the 2006 season, McCoy was named College Football News
College Football News
College Football News 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 includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
Big 12 Player of the Year and was named the quarterback to their "All Freshman Team". Injuries caused him to miss portions of the final two regular season games, but was able to play for the entire duration of the Longhorns' bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
.
Leading the 2007 Longhorns
2007 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who received the 2005 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award...
, McCoy was somewhat less consistent. Through the first five games he threw nine interceptions — two more than he threw in the entire 2006 season. He went on to throw 18 interceptions during the 2007 season.
Leading the 2008 Texas Longhorn football team
2008 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2008 Texas Longhorn football team 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 2016 season...
, McCoy and the Longhorns began the season with 8 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 UT lost to Texas Tech University 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 11 rushing touchdowns, establishing a reputation as a dual threat quarterback. McCoy was named the 2008 AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Early life
McCoy was born in Hobbs, New MexicoHobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 28,657 at the 2000 census.Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lea County.-Geography:...
. He attended Jim Ned High School
Jim Ned High School
Jim Ned High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Tuscola, Texas, USA, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District. The high school serves approximately 330 students from approximately 380 square miles in...
in Tuscola, Texas
Tuscola, Texas
Tuscola is a city in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 714 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Tuscola is located at ....
, population 714, where he was coached in football by his father, Brad McCoy. 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. However, after he suffered a concussion on a tackle by 215-pound Bangs High School
Bangs High School
Bangs High School is a 2A high school located in Bangs, Texas . It is part of the Bangs Independent School District located in western Brown County...
running back Jack Tripper (not to be confused with the Houston Texans wide receiver of the same name, nor with the character from the TV show Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
), 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. While attending Jim Ned High School he also earned letters in track and basketball.
2005 season
As a freshmanFreshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
, he was given a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
year so he did not play during the team's 2005 national championship season
2005 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team represented the University of Texas at Austin during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, winning the Big 12 Conference championship and the national championship. The team was coached by Mack Brown, led on offense by quarterback Vince Young, and played...
. He served as the quarterback for the scout team in practice against the starting defense. During this time, he was officially listed as the number three quarterback behind Vince Young
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
and Matt Nordgren. Instead of Colt, Brown chose to play Matt Nordgren in four separate game situations where Texas had a commanding lead. This led to confusion on the parts of many sportscasters, as they would mistakenly refer to Nordgren as Matt McCoy whenever Matt would enter a game since Colt was third on the depth chart. With Young forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL, and with Nordgren graduating, the position of starting quarterback for the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns fell to Colt McCoy for the 2006 football season after he won the job over true freshman Jevan Snead
Jevan Snead
Jevan Bryce Snead is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent...
.
2006 season
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne 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 Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962...
in 1944. The next week, the Longhorns faced #1 Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
at home. McCoy went 19-32, 156 yards, one TD, and one INT 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 Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
, Iowa State
Iowa State Cyclones football
The Iowa State Cyclones football team represents Iowa State University in college football. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894...
, and Sam Houston State, McCoy got his first win over a ranked team, as well as his first come-from-behind victory, when he threw two touchdowns, and led the Longhorns to defeat Oklahoma 28–10 in the Red River Shootout on October 7, 2006.
The two touchdowns by McCoy gave him 12 touchdown passes for the season, tied for third with Longhorn passer James Brown 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
Baylor Bears football
The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
. The previous record of five touchdown passes had been held by James Brown (set vs. Baylor in 1994) and Chris Simms
Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Simms has also played for the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
(vs. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
in 2001). On October 25, 2006, he was 9th in the nation with a quarterback rating of 165.4.
In the 2006 Oklahoma State 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 TD's shy of the NCAA single season record for freshman quarterbacks (29). Coincidentally, this 27th pass was also for 27 yards.
During the November 11, 2006, game against Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
, McCoy suffered a stinger
Stinger (medicine)
In medicine, a stinger, also called a burner or nerve pinch injury, is a neurological injury suffered by athletes, mostly in high-contact sports such as ice hockey, basketball, rugby league football, rugby union, american football, wrestling, and roller derby...
shoulder injury while rushing for a touchdown against Kansas State. The Longhorns lost in an upset to 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 Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
on November 24, 2006. However, McCoy was cleared to play the game against the Aggies.
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
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.
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
, MRI, and a CAT scan. 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", said Dr. Carey Windler, the team's orthopedic surgeon.
On December 1, 2006, the Longhorns issued a statement confirming that back-up quarterback Jevan Snead had left the team and would transfer to an unspecified school; this meant there would be no scholarship quarterback ready 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
2006 Alamo Bowl
The 2006 Alamo Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, part of the 2006–2007 bowl season of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 2006 Alamo Bowl was played in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on December 30....
for Texas on Saturday, December 30. in the 2006 Alamo Bowl
2006 Alamo Bowl
The 2006 Alamo Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, part of the 2006–2007 bowl season of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 2006 Alamo Bowl was played in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on December 30....
on December 30, McCoy threw two touchdowns against Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
to tie the NCAA freshman record of 29 touchdown passes established by Nevada's
Nevada Wolf Pack football
The Nevada Wolf Pack Football program represents the University of Nevada, Reno in college football. The Wolf Pack competes in the Western Athletic Conference at the Football Bowl Subdivision level of the NCAA...
David Neill
David Neill
David Neill was an American college football quarterback for the University of Nevada. In 1998 he set an NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a season by a freshman with 29 thrown. This record was tied in 2006 by Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns, and broken the following season by Sam...
in 1998. This record has since been broken by Oklahoma's Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
in the 2007 season.
2007 season
Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Dave Campbell's Texas Football is an annual publication, previewing football teams in the state of Texas.It is unique in that it is the only publication to preview every team in Texas , from the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, through every level of college football, to the roughly 1,400...
alongside Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
quarterback Stephen McGee
Stephen McGee
Stephen Richard McGee is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for Texas A&M....
and TCU
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
defensive end Tommy Blake
Tommy Blake
Tommy Earl Blake, Jr. is a former American football defensive end who played at the collegiate level for Texas Christian University.-Early life:Blake grew up in tiny town in Texas...
. Additionally, Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
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
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
announced that McCoy had been named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American 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 football player in the United States. The...
. The initial list includes 64 players. The winner turned out to be Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
. In their 2007 season preview magazine, CBS Sportsline.com listed McCoy as one of 12 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
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since 2004 to the collegiate American football quarterback adjudged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States...
watch list. Further, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List
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 adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
added McCoy on August 21, 2007.
McCoy led the Longhorns, who were ranked number four in the pre-season Associated Press Poll and Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
, to a 21–13 victory over unranked Arkansas State
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
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
2007 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2007 Texas Christian Horned Frog football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2007 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson, who took over the program in December 2000. The Frogs play their home games in Amon G...
.
The road opener was the first game ever played in the new home stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I...
of the UCF Knights
2007 UCF Knights football team
The 2007 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach is George O'Leary...
. 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
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
and by Major Applewhite
Major Applewhite
Major Lee Applewhite is the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach for the University of Texas. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006, and at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007...
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
John Chiles
John Chiles is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Jacksonville Sharks. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football for the University of Texas at Austin.-Early years:Chiles attended Summit High School in...
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 4 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
2007 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2007 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2007. The team's head football coach was Ron Prince. The Wildcats played their home games in Bill Snyder Family Stadium...
; 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
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
selected him as one of the season's 10 "Most Disappointing College Players" and noted that he his nine interceptions thrown so far in 2007 were already two more than he threw in the entire 2006 season. Stewart Mandel
Stewart Mandel
Stewart Lance Mandel is an American sports writer who focuses on college football and college basketball. Mandel was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, attending Sycamore High School, and is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism....
of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
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.
2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2007-2008, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship for the fifth time in eight years. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops...
28–21. OU's freshman quarterback, Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
, was 21–of–32 for 244 yards and 3 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 Royal
Darrell K Royal is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University , the University of Washington , and the University of Texas at Austin , compiling a career college football record of 184–60–5...
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
2007 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The 2007 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the 2007 College Football Division I FBS season.-Schedule:...
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
Jordan Shipley is an American football player who currently plays wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . He was drafted by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
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-yardline. 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
2007 Holiday Bowl
The 2007 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 27, 2007 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of 32 games in the 2007-2008 bowl season. It featured the Texas Longhorns against the Arizona State Sun...
, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 52–34 victory and won the offensive-player MVP award.
2008 season
On January 2, 2008 UT running backRunning back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles
Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
decided to forgo his senior season with Texas in favor of joining the NFL as a professional football player in the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. With Charles' departure, McCoy became the leading returning rusher for the 2008 Longhorns
2008 Texas Longhorn football team
The 2008 Texas Longhorn football team 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 2016 season...
.
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
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
, becoming the 2nd player in UT history to pass for 200 and rush for 100 yards in more than one game; the other being Vince Young
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
. On September 20 Colt McCoy surpassed the Texas All-Time record for the most passing TD's with 62 while beating Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
52–10. The record was previously held by Major Applewhite
Major Applewhite
Major Lee Applewhite is the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach for the University of Texas. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006, and at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007...
. Through the first four games of 2008, McCoy completed 80% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 209.71.
2008 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 2008 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Hawkins and played their home games in Folsom Field.-Pre-season:...
and UT won 38–14. McCoy threw for two touchdowns and moved past Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
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. UT continued conference play by defeating #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners
2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2008-2009. It was the 114th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract...
in the 2008 Texas vs. Oklahoma football game
2008 Texas vs. Oklahoma football game
The 2008 Oklahoma vs. Texas football game, played October 11, 2008, was the 103rd meeting between the University of Oklahoma and The University of Texas at Austin in a college football game. The annual game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners is called the Red River Shootout...
. 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
2008 Missouri Tigers football team
The 2008 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2008 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned in his eighth season with Mizzou, and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.Quarterback Chase Daniel returned for...
, 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 alone in first place for the most career touchdowns scored at Texas (82), passing Vince Young (81).
2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the college football season of 2008/09. The team was coached by Mike Leach. The Red Raiders played their home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. The football team competed in the Division I Football Bowl...
with one second remaining in the game. McCoy gave a good performance but came up short as his Red Raider counterpart, Graham Harrell
Graham Harrell
Graham Harrell is an American football quarterback. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers and is currently on their scout team. He played college football at Texas Tech.-Early years:...
had an outstanding day. Following that loss, UT 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 UT 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
2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009. It was the school's 119th year of intercollegiate football...
, 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 great performance against in-state rival Texas A&M 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 for Colt McCoy, setting a new school record. McCoy rushed for 2 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, 68 yarder on a post route to Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley is an American football player who currently plays wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . He was drafted by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
late in the third quarter, ended up a yard short of being McCoy’s fifth touchdown of the evening.
On January 5, 2009, McCoy led the Longhorns to 24–21 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl
2009 Fiesta Bowl
The 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns on Monday, January 5, 2009, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona...
. 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.
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 to win the Big 12 Championship in Cowboys Stadium. While becoming the winningest 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 repitore. The Texas offense executed a total of 1,053 plays in 14 games played in 2009. His favorite target is #8 WR Jordan Shipley, who is now with the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.McCoy left the 2010 BCS National Championship Game
2010 BCS National Championship Game
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,...
against Alabama
2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 77th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 18th within the SEC Western Division...
during 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 Gilbert
Garrett Gilbert is a current quarterback for the SMU Mustangs college football team. Gilbert was regarded as one of the best high school quarterbacks of his class and was named the 2008 Offensive Player of the Year by USA Today....
. Alabama would go on to win the game 37-21.
Statistics
As of the end of the 2009 season, McCoy's statistics are as follows:| Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Rating | Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | TD | INT | Yds | TD | |||
| 2006 | Texas | 13 | 161.8 | 318 | 217 | 68.2 | 2,570 | 29 | 7 | 68 | 170 | 2 | ||
| 2007 | Texas | 13 | 139.2 | 424 | 276 | 65.1 | 3,303 | 22 | 18 | 114 | 510 | 4 | ||
| 2008 | Texas | 13 | 173.75 | 433 | 332 | 76.7 | 3,859 | 34 | 8 | 136 | 561 | 11 | ||
| 2009 | Texas | 14 | 147.41 | 470 | 332 | 70.6 | 3,521 | 27 | 12 | 129 | 348 | 3 | ||
| Totals | 53 | 158.25 | 1,645 | 1,157 | 70.3 | 13,253 | 112 | 45 | 447 | 1,589 | 20 | |||
In the seventh game of 2008, he completed 91%. He finished the 2008 regular season with a 76.7% completion percentage, breaking the mark set by Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
for Central Florida, and was the Longhorns' leading rusher with 576 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
Records
- UT - Total Touchdowns, Career: 132 (Broke record on October 18, 2008 versus Missouri2008 Missouri Tigers football teamThe 2008 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2008 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned in his eighth season with Mizzou, and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.Quarterback Chase Daniel returned for...
) - UT - Touchdown Passes, Career: 112 (Broke record on September 20, 2008 versus RiceRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
) - UT - Touchdown Passes, Season: 34, (Broke own record of 29 on November 15, 2008 vs. the Kansas Jayhawks2008 Kansas Jayhawks football teamThe 2008 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009. It was the school's 119th year of intercollegiate football...
) - UT - Touchdown Passes, Game: 6, (October 14, 2006 versus BaylorBaylor UniversityBaylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
) - UT - Passing Completions, Game: 41, (January 5, 2009 versus Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State BuckeyesThe Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
) - UT - Consecutive Passing Completions, Game: 18 (October 25, 2008 versus Oklahoma State2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football teamThe 2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represents Oklahoma State University for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009.-Schedule:Source:-Washington State:-Houston:...
(surpassed his own record of 17 on October 18, 2008 versus Missouri2008 Missouri Tigers football teamThe 2008 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2008 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned in his eighth season with Mizzou, and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.Quarterback Chase Daniel returned for...
). - UT - Career Wins by a Starting Quarterback: 45 (November 27, 2008 vs. Texas A&M, surpassed Vince Young, also most career wins in FBS history)
- UT - Passing Yards, Season: 3,859 yards (November 27, 2008 vs. Texas A&M, surpassed Major Applewhite)
- UT - Passing Attempts, Game: 58(Tie), (January 5, 2009 versus Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State BuckeyesThe Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
) - NCAA - Highest Single Season completion percentage: 76.7%.
- NCAA - Colt McCoy is one of the two FBS quarterbacks to average 10 wins per season for four seasons.(Andy Dalton became the second) and (Kellen Moore is on pace to become the third.)
College awards and honors
- 2006 "All Freshman Team" by College Football News
- 2006 “National Freshman of the Year” by The Sporting NewsThe Sporting NewsSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
and the Touchdown Club of ColumbusTouchdown Club of ColumbusThe 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 than a decade later, his son Sam Nicola, Jr... - 2006 Big 12Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
Offensive Newcomer of the Year by the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. - 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 AwardWalter Camp AwardThe 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 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
by the Walter Camp Foundation - 2008 First-team All-America2008 College Football All-America TeamThe 2008 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American first teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, ESPN, CBS Sports,...
by the Walter Camp Foundation, FWAA, and Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the... - 2008 Archie Griffin AwardArchie Griffin AwardThe Archie Griffin Award, named after the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in history Archie Griffin, was first presented to Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick in 1999. The specially designed ring is one of the few college football awards presented after all bowl games are completed and...
- 2008 co-Sporting News Player of the YearSporting News College Football Player of the YearBeginning in 1942 The Sporting News, now known as Sporting News, awarded the top collegiate football player its own award. The publication picked players that often were not seriously considered by the Downtown Athletic Club, who voted on the Heisman Trophy, such as underclassman or defensive...
- 2008 Heisman Memorial Trophy Runner-up
- 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP
- 2009 First-team All-American2009 College Football All-America TeamAn All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
by Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, AFCAAmerican Football Coaches AssociationThe American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
, FWAA, Walter Camp Foundation, Rivals.comRivals.comRivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, Scout.comScout.comScout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors... - 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 AwardJohnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardThe Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's outstanding senior quarterback in college football. It was established in 1987 by a foundation named for Johnny Unitas , the Hall of Fame quarterback who played his college career at the University of...
- 2009 avey O'Brien Award]
- 2009 Chic Harley AwardChic Harley AwardThe Chic Harley Award is presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus to the College Football Player of the Year. The winner is selected by a committee of college football coaches, and is named after Ohio State All-America football legend, Chic Harley. It was first presented to Ohio State's Howard...
- 2009 Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American 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 football player in the United States. The...
- 2009 Walter Camp AwardWalter Camp AwardThe 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 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
by the Walter Camp Foundation - 2009 Sporting News College Athlete of the Year
- 2009 AT&T ESPN All-America Player of the Year
- Texas LonghornsTexas Longhorns footballThe Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
#12 retired
Candidate for Heisman and other national awards
McCoy was mentioned as a Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate in his freshman year (2006) and he appeared on the Athlon Sports pre-season Heisman watch at the start of the 2007 season.
The talk has become more widespread his junior year as McCoy has been 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
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
, quarterback of the Florida Gators
2008 Florida Gators football team
The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
, has 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 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 TDs, 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.
After Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford barely took the lead in the Rocky Mountain News poll of 10 Heisman Trophy voters. The Austin American-Statesman reported, "Bradford leads Texas’ Colt McCoy by just one point. In terms of first-place votes, Bradford received five, while McCoy received three. The others went to Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, who had led the poll since Tech’s win over Texas, and Florida’s Tim Tebow, last year’s Heisman winner."
On November 25, 2008 Colt McCoy was named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American 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 football player in the United States. The...
, which is presented to the top all-around player in the country. The other finalists were Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, last 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
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 adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
, 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 Colt McCoy led the Longhorns to a defeat over rival, unranked Texas A&M (a team he had lost to twice in the past), Sports Illustrated analyst Stewart Mandel
Stewart Mandel
Stewart Lance Mandel is an American sports writer who focuses on college football and college basketball. Mandel was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, attending Sycamore High School, and is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism....
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 TDs 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.
| Finalist | First place votes (3 pts. each) |
Second place votes (2 pts. each) |
Third place votes (1 pt. each) |
Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Bradford Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a... |
300 | 315 | 196 | 1,726 |
| Colt McCoy | 266 | 288 | 230 | 1,604 |
| Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft... |
309 | 207 | 234 | 1,575 |
| Source: | ||||
Pre-draft
In October 2008 McCoy said he would stay at Texas for his senior year instead of leaving for the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. 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 [start] 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 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.
Prior to the draft, McCoy said he had "no expectations".
2010
McCoy was drafted in the third round as the 85th overall pick by the Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
. 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 has three quarterbacks, Browns president Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
said McCoy would likely not play his first season with the team in order to develop him as an NFL quarterback. However, because injuries to starting quarterback Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
and back-up Seneca Wallace
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Isayha Wallace is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, McCoy made his first career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
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
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and contributed to the surprising victory over the defending Super Bowl champions 30-17 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
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
34-14. He then started again on November 14 against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
; 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
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and missed the next three weeks before returning to start under center against the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in week 15. McCoy threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions, but Cleveland faced defeat. In each of the final two games against division rivals Baltimore
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
and Pittsburgh, McCoy threw 3 interceptions as the Browns lost both games. McCoy finished the season with 6 touchdowns against 9 interceptions.
2011
With the firing of Eric ManginiEric Mangini
Eric Mangini is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets of the National Football League and current NFL analyst for ESPN.-College:...
, McCoy found a familiar offense with the Browns because of the similarities it shared with the Texas offensive game plan, the West Coast offense under new head coach Pat Shurmur
Pat Shurmur
Pat Shurmur is currently the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.-Playing career:Shurmur was a four-year letterman in football at Michigan State University. He played guard and linebacker his freshman season, and started at center the next three seasons. He earned All-Big 10 Conference honors in...
. After a long awaited pre-season after the agreements from the NFL lockout, and the release of Delhomme, McCoy showed an impressive performance during the pre-season becoming starter for the Browns. He showed a tremendous effort during the Browns home opener against the Bengals, McCoy threw 19 for 40 attempts throwing 213 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The next two weeks, the Browns defeated the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
with McCoy throwing combined 41 of 71 attempts, 421 yards, and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception during the two back to back wins. Week 5 was a tough week for McCoy, although throwing 40 for 61 attempts, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, the Browns had a devastating loss to the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, 31-13. After a bye week, McCoy and the Browns lost to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
24-17, McCoy had 21 for 45 attempts, throwing 215 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. After the loss to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the Browns played the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and won 6-3. Neither team scored a touchdown and McCoy threw for 20 for 35 attempts for 178 yards and 1 interception
Personal life
McCoy enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing golf. On May 29, 2006, Colt McCoy swam 300 yards across a lake to help save the life of Ken Herrington who was having a seizureSeizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
on a small dock that extended into the privately owned lake.
While in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Colt is active in the UT community service program including visits to the Austin's Children's Hospital and volunteering at the Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network
The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is an international non-profit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals, medical research and community awareness of children's health issues. The organization, founded in 1982 by the Osmond family and John Schneider, is headquartered in...
telethon. McCoy also took a trip to Peru to take care of some missionary work and he also visited hospital patients. Colt McCoy was the roommate of his favorite receiving target at Texas Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley
Jordan Shipley is an American football player who currently plays wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League . He was drafted by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
. McCoy's father was the roommate of Shipley's father at Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
. McCoy has already extended a generous hearty healthy message to the children of Central Texas by joining the ambassadors of Scott & White Hospital Pediatric Division as plans for transitioning into new facilities begins in Temple, Texas
Temple, Texas
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an...
in 2010 and Killeen, Texas
Killeen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...
in 2011.
McCoy is a member of the Church of Christ, and attended Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, Texas. When living in Buffalo Gap, Texas
Buffalo Gap, Texas
Buffalo Gap is an incorporated town in Taylor County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 463 at the 2000 census. It is the former county seat of Taylor County, having been supplanted in 1883 by the much larger Abilene to its north...
, Colt 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
Meals on Wheels are programs that deliver 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 programs, not all of which are actually named "Meals on Wheels"...
and ministry. Fellow quarterback Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
said of McCoy, "I was really proud of him because I think he represents college football and his faith extremely well, too, which I really respect as well. I think he's done a good job with everything he's going through."
His grandfather, Burl McCoy, is a member of the Abilene Christian University (ACU) Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits both as an athlete and as the former women's basketball coach. Colt McCoy's younger brother Chance McCoy was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
at ACU
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
, while his youngest brother Case McCoy is currently in his sophomore year as the starting quarterback at the University of Texas. His mother's side of the family lives near Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and his father's family mostly resides in Totowa, New Jersey
Totowa, New Jersey
Totowa is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 9,892.Totowa was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1898, from portions of the now-defunct Manchester Township and Wayne...
.
Some media features on Colt McCoy refer to him jokingly as "The Real McCoy
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"...
" because of his performance on the field as well as his leadership and personality.
In October 2009, a personal testimony about Colt's faith in Christ was added to the I Am Second
I Am Second
I Am Second is an evangelical Christian multimedia movement and not-for-profit organization that is designed to inspire people to live for Jesus Christ and others...
video testimony series which includes other famous people such as Josh Hamilton, Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
, Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
, Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
, Jason Castro, Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
, Jason Witten
Jason Witten
Christopher Jason Witten is an American football tight end who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee....
, Brian Welch
Brian Welch
Brian Phillip Welch , better known as Head, is an American musician best known as the former guitarist and co-founder of the nu metal band Korn...
, Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
, and Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
.
On January 12, 2010, Colt became engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Glandorf, former middle-distance Track and Field athlete for Baylor University, by proposing on the screen at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. They were married on July 17, 2010.
External links
- Colt McCoy High School Highlights at jcdenton40.com
- McCoy Bio at official web-site of Texas Longhorns Football
- Colt McCoy Recruiting Profile at Rivals.com