Byron Leftwich facts for kids
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Leftwich with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
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| No. 7, 4 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 14, 1980 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Marshall (1998–2002) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
| Coaching stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Byron Antron Leftwich (born January 14, 1980) is an American former professional football player and coach. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons.
Leftwich played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd. He was named the MAC Most Valuable Player twice. The Jacksonville Jaguars picked him seventh overall in the 2003 NFL draft. He was a starting quarterback for the Jaguars for four years. Later, he played as a backup for the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a player with the Steelers, he won Super Bowl XLIII.
After retiring as a player, Leftwich became a coach. He worked for the Arizona Cardinals and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers, he helped the team win Super Bowl LV.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Byron Leftwich grew up in Washington, D.C.. He went to Howard D. Woodson High School. There, he was a talented athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball.
In his senior year (1997), he was recognized for his football skills. The Washington Post named him an honorable mention on their All-Met football team. He was also a first-team All-DCIAA East player in basketball.
Playing Career Highlights
Byron Leftwich had an exciting career both in college and the NFL. He was known for his strong arm and leadership.
College Football Success
Leftwich became a star player at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2000 Motor City Bowl.
He gained a lot of attention for a thrilling game in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. Marshall won 64–61 in overtime against East Carolina. He even played against his future NFL teammate, David Garrard, in that game.
Another memorable moment was in November 2002 against Akron. Leftwich broke his left shin bone during the game. But he was carried back onto the field by his linemen, Steve Sciullo and Steve Perretta. He helped Marshall make a 17-point comeback, even though they still lost 34–20.
ESPN started showing Mid-American Conference (MAC) games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This helped Leftwich's teams get national attention, a trend called "MACtion". He helped the MAC become more famous. Marshall is now part of the Sun Belt Conference.
During his time at Marshall, Leftwich completed 939 passes for 11,903 yards. He threw 89 touchdowns and had 28 interceptions. He ranks second in school history for total offense.
Professional Football Journey
Leftwich's college fame helped him become a top pick in the NFL Draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars
At the 2003 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars picked Byron Leftwich as the seventh overall player. This was a big moment for him.
He became the Jaguars' starting quarterback in his rookie year. This happened in game four after Mark Brunell got injured.
In 2005, Leftwich was playing very well. He had a strong passer rating and threw many touchdowns. However, in Week 12, he broke his ankle after being tackled. He missed the rest of the regular season. He returned for the playoffs, but the Jaguars lost to the New England Patriots.
In 2006, Leftwich started the season strong, leading the Jaguars to wins. But he suffered another ankle injury in Week 4. This injury ended his season. David Garrard took over as quarterback. After the season, the Jaguars decided to make Garrard their permanent starter. Leftwich was released by the team on September 1, 2007.
Atlanta Falcons
On September 18, 2007, Leftwich signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. He was a backup to Joey Harrington.
Leftwich started a few games for the Falcons. He played well in Week 7 but then got an ankle sprain. He was released by the Falcons in February 2008.
Pittsburgh Steelers (First Time)
On August 10, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Leftwich. He became the backup quarterback to Ben Roethlisberger. Leftwich played well when he got the chance.
He appeared in five games during the 2008 season. He completed 21 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for one touchdown. Leftwich earned a Super Bowl ring when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Leftwich signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April 2009. He was named the team's starting quarterback for the 2009 season.
However, after the team started 0–3, Leftwich was benched. He later suffered an elbow injury and was placed on injured reserve. This ended his 2009 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (Second Time)
Leftwich was traded back to the Steelers in April 2010. He was expected to start while Ben Roethlisberger was suspended. But Leftwich got a knee injury during the preseason.
He was briefly cut and then re-signed by the Steelers. He made one appearance in the 2010 regular season. Leftwich was the Steelers' backup quarterback when they lost Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers.
In 2011, Leftwich broke his left arm during the preseason. This injury caused him to miss the entire season. He re-signed with the team in April 2012.
In Week 10 of the 2012 season, Roethlisberger was injured. Leftwich came into the game and helped the Steelers win in overtime. He started the next game against the Baltimore Ravens. In that game, he had a career-long 31-yard rush for a touchdown. However, he broke a rib in the game. This was the last game of his playing career.
NFL Career Statistics
Byron Leftwich played 60 regular season games in his NFL career. He completed 930 passes for 10,532 yards and 58 touchdowns. He also rushed for 10 touchdowns.
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||
| 2003 | JAX | 15 | 13 | 5–8 | 239 | 418 | 57.2 | 2,819 | 6.7 | 14 | 16 | 73.0 | 25 | 108 | 4.3 | 2 | ||
| 2004 | JAX | 14 | 14 | 8–6 | 267 | 441 | 60.5 | 2,941 | 6.7 | 15 | 10 | 82.2 | 39 | 148 | 3.8 | 2 | ||
| 2005 | JAX | 11 | 11 | 8–3 | 175 | 302 | 57.9 | 2,123 | 7.0 | 15 | 5 | 89.3 | 31 | 67 | 2.2 | 2 | ||
| 2006 | JAX | 6 | 6 | 3–3 | 108 | 183 | 59.0 | 1,159 | 6.3 | 7 | 5 | 79.0 | 25 | 41 | 1.6 | 2 | ||
| 2007 | ATL | 3 | 2 | 0–2 | 32 | 58 | 55.2 | 279 | 4.8 | 1 | 2 | 59.5 | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 0 | ||
| 2008 | PIT | 5 | 0 | – | 21 | 36 | 58.3 | 303 | 8.4 | 2 | 0 | 104.3 | 4 | 7 | 1.8 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | TB | 3 | 3 | 0–3 | 58 | 107 | 54.2 | 594 | 5.6 | 4 | 3 | 71.2 | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | PIT | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 7 | 71.4 | 42 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 86.6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| 2011 | PIT | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | PIT | 2 | 1 | 0–1 | 25 | 53 | 47.2 | 272 | 5.1 | 0 | 1 | 54.9 | 1 | 31 | 31.0 | 1 | ||
| Career | 60 | 50 | 24–26 | 930 | 1,605 | 57.9 | 10,532 | 6.6 | 58 | 42 | 78.9 | 137 | 415 | 3.0 | 10 | |||
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2005 | JAX | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 18 | 31 | 58.1 | 179 | 5.8 | 0 | 1 | 61.1 | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 0 |
| 2008 | PIT | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 4 | -2 | -0.5 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0–1 | 18 | 32 | 56.3 | 179 | 5.6 | 0 | 1 | 59.2 | 7 | 24 | 3.4 | 0 | |
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Byron Leftwich moved into coaching.
Arizona Cardinals
In 2016, Leftwich joined the Arizona Cardinals as a coaching intern. He helped train the team's quarterbacks. In 2017, he became the Cardinals' quarterbacks coach under head coach Bruce Arians.
In October 2018, Leftwich was promoted to interim offensive coordinator. This means he temporarily took charge of the team's offense. He left the Cardinals at the end of the 2018 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On January 8, 2019, Leftwich was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator. This reunited him with Bruce Arians, who became the Buccaneers' new head coach. Arians said he wouldn't have taken the job if Leftwich wasn't available.
Leftwich played a key role in the Buccaneers' success. After the 2020 season, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV. This was a huge achievement for the team and Leftwich as a coach.
After the 2021 season, other NFL teams interviewed Leftwich for head coaching jobs. However, he was not hired by any team. On January 19, 2023, Leftwich was fired from the Buccaneers organization.
In the Media
Byron Leftwich has appeared in various media over the years:
- He was featured in MTV's True Life: I'm a Heisman Trophy candidate while in college.
- In 2003, he was part of Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL, an ESPN show about new NFL players.
- He served as the grand marshal for the 2004 Pepsi 400 NASCAR race.
- Leftwich appeared on ESPN's Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith in 2006.
- His 1967 Lincoln Continental car was shown on the TV show Unique Whips.
- He was interviewed by NBC during the Kentucky Derby in May 2007.
- Leftwich was a frequent guest on NFL Total Access on the NFL Network.
- His famous moment of playing on a broken leg was shown in the 2006 film We Are Marshall.
See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders
