Byron Leftwich facts for kids
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Leftwich with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
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| Colorado Buffaloes | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Assistant coach | ||||||||||||
| 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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| 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 a former American football quarterback and coach. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Byron is currently an assistant coach for the Colorado Buffaloes.
He 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. Leftwich was the starting quarterback for the Jaguars for his first four seasons. 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 under Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals. He then joined Arians again as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers from 2019 to 2022. He helped the team win Super Bowl LV as a coach.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Byron Leftwich grew up in Washington, DC. He went to Howard D. Woodson High School. There, he was a talented athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball. In 1997, during his senior year, he was recognized as an honorable mention on The Washington Post's All-Met football team. He was also a first-team All-DCIAA East player in basketball.
College Football Career
Leftwich became a star player at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He was named the MVP of the 2000 Motor City Bowl.
Famous College Games
One of his most memorable games was a 64–61 overtime win against East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. He played against David Garrard, who would later be his teammate.
Another famous moment happened in November 2002 against Akron. Leftwich broke his shin, which is a bone in his lower leg. Despite the injury, his teammates Steve Sciullo and Steve Perretta carried him back onto the field. He continued to play, leading Marshall to try and come back from a 17-point deficit. Even though Marshall lost the game 34–20, his determination was unforgettable.
"MACtion" and National Attention
Starting in 2000, ESPN began showing Mid-American Conference (MAC) games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This meant many people across the country watched Leftwich and his team. This helped the MAC conference get more national attention. Leftwich, along with other Marshall stars like Chad Pennington and Randy Moss, helped make the conference more famous.
During his time at Marshall, Leftwich completed 939 passes for 11,903 yards and 89 touchdowns. He had a total of 12,090 yards of offense, which was the second-highest in Marshall's history.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+3⁄8 in (1.97 m) |
241 lb (109 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.85 s | 25 |
Joining the Jacksonville Jaguars
Because of the attention he received from "MACtion" games, Byron Leftwich became a top pick in the 2003 NFL draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars chose him as the seventh overall pick.
Leftwich became the Jaguars' starting quarterback in his rookie year. This happened in the fourth game after their main quarterback, Mark Brunell, got injured.
In 2005, Leftwich was playing very well. He had a good passer rating and a strong touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, in Week 12, he broke his ankle during a game against the Arizona Cardinals. This injury caused him to miss the rest of the regular season. He returned for the playoffs but the Jaguars lost to the New England Patriots.
In 2006, Leftwich started his fourth NFL season. He led the Jaguars to wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. But in Week 4, he injured his ankle again. He had surgery, which ended his season early. David Garrard took over as quarterback.
In 2007, the Jaguars' coach, Jack Del Rio, decided that David Garrard would be the team's new starting quarterback. Because of this, the Jaguars released Leftwich on September 1, 2007.
Time with the Atlanta Falcons
On September 17, 2007, Leftwich signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He was a backup to Joey Harrington. Leftwich started in Week 7 and played well, but he had to leave the game due to an ankle sprain. He started again in Week 11, but then Harrington became the starter again. The Falcons released Leftwich in February 2008.
First Time with the Pittsburgh Steelers
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, appearing in five games. He completed 21 of 36 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for one touchdown. Leftwich earned a Super Bowl ring when the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII.
Playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Leftwich signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 12, 2009. The head coach, Raheem Morris, named Leftwich the starting quarterback for the 2009 season.
However, after three losses, the Buccaneers benched Leftwich. Josh Johnson became the new starting quarterback. Leftwich later suffered an elbow injury and was placed on injured reserve, ending his 2009 season.
Second Time with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Leftwich was traded back to the Steelers on April 20, 2010. He was expected to start while Ben Roethlisberger was suspended. But Leftwich injured his knee during a preseason game. He was briefly released and then re-signed. He played in one regular season game in 2010. Leftwich was the backup quarterback when the Steelers played in Super Bowl XLV, which they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
In 2011, Leftwich broke his left arm during a preseason game. 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, Ben Roethlisberger was injured. Leftwich came into the game and helped the team win in overtime. Two days later, the Steelers announced Leftwich would start the next game against the Baltimore Ravens. He had a career-long 31-yard run for a touchdown in that game. However, he broke his rib during the game, which turned out to be the last game of his playing career.
NFL Career Statistics
Byron Leftwich played in 60 regular season games, starting 50 of them. He completed 930 passes for 10,532 yards and 58 touchdowns. He also rushed for 415 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Coaching Career
Arizona Cardinals Coaching Role
On May 9, 2016, Leftwich started his coaching career as an intern with the Arizona Cardinals. He helped train the team's quarterbacks. On January 27, 2017, he became the Cardinals' quarterbacks coach under head coach Bruce Arians.
In October 2018, Leftwich was promoted to interim offensive coordinator for the Cardinals. He was later fired along with the head coach at the end of the 2018 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coaching Role
On January 8, 2019, Leftwich was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This reunited him with Bruce Arians, who became the new head coach. Arians said he would not have taken the job if Leftwich wasn't available.
After the 2020 season, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV. Bruce Arians praised Leftwich, saying he was in charge of the offense. After the 2021 season, Leftwich had interviews for head coaching jobs with other NFL teams, but he was not hired. On January 19, 2023, Leftwich was fired from the Buccaneers.
Coaching at Colorado
In March 2025, Leftwich was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado. He works under head coach Deion Sanders.
Byron Leftwich in the Media
- When he was in college, Leftwich was featured on MTV's True Life: I'm a Heisman Trophy candidate.
- In 2003, he was part of Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL, an ESPN show about new NFL players.
- Leftwich was the grand marshal for the 2004 Pepsi 400 car race at Daytona International Speedway.
- He appeared on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN in 2006.
- A classic car owned by Leftwich, a 1967 Lincoln Continental, was shown on the TV show Unique Whips.
- Leftwich and fellow NFL player Michael Strahan were interviewed by NBC during their coverage of the Kentucky Derby in May 2007.
- He was a frequent guest on NFL Total Access, a show on the NFL Network.
- In the 2006 movie We Are Marshall, a clip of Leftwich playing on a broken leg is shown.
Images for kids
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Leftwich with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
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Leftwich with the Jaguars in 2005
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Leftwich under center as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers
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