Gerald McCoy facts for kids
McCoy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | February 25, 1988 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Southeast (Oklahoma City) | ||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (2006–2009) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Gerald Keith McCoy Jr. (born February 25, 1988) is a former American football player. He played as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Gerald McCoy was known for his strong play and leadership on the field.
He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. There, he earned top honors as an All-American. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose him as the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Throughout his NFL career, McCoy was selected to the Pro Bowl six times. He was also named a First-team All-Pro once.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Gerald McCoy was born in Oklahoma City to Gerald McCoy Sr. and Patricia McCoy. He went to Southeast High School in Oklahoma City. He played for the Southeast Spartans high school football team. He also competed in track & field, where he was good at the shot put.
In 2004, as a junior, he made 83 tackles, including 23 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. He earned many awards, including being named All-area and All-state. As a senior, he had 82 tackles, 20 sacks, and recovered nine fumbles. USA Today named him the 2005 National Defensive Player of the Year. After his senior year, McCoy played in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Many top colleges wanted McCoy to play for them. He was considered one of the best defensive tackle prospects. He chose to play for his home-state team, the Oklahoma Sooners.
College Football Career
McCoy attended the University of Oklahoma. He played for coach Bob Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners football team from 2006 to 2009.
2007 Season: Freshman Year
After not playing in 2006, McCoy had high hopes for the 2007 season. The Big 12 named him the Defensive Freshman of the Year. He played in 13 games, making 19 tackles and two sacks.
2008 Season: Sophomore Success
In his second year, McCoy was a key player for Oklahoma's defense. He had 30 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He also made his first career interception in the BCS title game. After the season, he was named a First-team All-American by Sporting News. He was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
2009 Season: Junior Year and All-American Honors
Even though he could have joined the NFL draft early, McCoy decided to return to Oklahoma for his junior season. He was ranked as one of the top defensive tackles in college football. He finished the season with 35 tackles, six sacks, and one forced fumble.
He was voted First-team All-American again. This made him the 37th Oklahoma player to earn All-America honors in more than one season. McCoy was also a finalist for the 2009 Lombardi Award, which goes to the best college football lineman.
During his time at Oklahoma, McCoy was a team captain twice. He started all 40 games he played. He also had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and four passes defended.
College Statistics
Here are Gerald McCoy's college football statistics:
| Season | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | |||
| 2007 | Oklahoma | 13 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | Oklahoma | 14 | 30 | 16 | 14 | 6.5 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | Oklahoma | 13 | 34 | 25 | 9 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 40 | 83 | 51 | 32 | 14.5 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
Professional Football Career
Gerald McCoy was one of the top players expected to be chosen in the 2010 NFL Draft.
NFL Combine Performance
Before the draft, McCoy showed his skills at the NFL Combine. This event allows college players to show their athletic abilities to NFL teams.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m) |
295 lb (134 kg) |
33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
4.99 s | 1.68 s | 2.85 s | 4.48 s | 7.32 s | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
23 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted McCoy as the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He was the second of three Oklahoma Sooners players chosen in the first four picks that year. This was a first in NFL history. McCoy signed a five-year contract with the Buccaneers.
2010 Season: Rookie Year
McCoy played his first NFL game on September 12, 2010. He made three tackles and forced a fumble. He was one of only five defensive rookies for the Buccaneers to start on opening day since 1995.
He got his first NFL sack on November 21, 2010. A week later, he had his first game with multiple sacks, getting two against the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, McCoy tore his left biceps in December and missed the last three games. Despite this, he finished tied for third on the team with 3.0 sacks.
2011 Season: Injury Challenges
In his second NFL season, McCoy again faced injuries. He played in only 11 games. He tore his right biceps in November, ending his season early for the second year in a row. The Buccaneers struggled that year, losing their last 10 games.
2012 Season: First Pro Bowl
McCoy had a great comeback season in 2012. He played a full season without injuries for the first time. He helped the Buccaneers have a top-ranked defense against running plays. This strong performance earned him his first selection to the Pro Bowl. He finished the year with 30 tackles, 5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.
2013 Season: All-Pro Recognition
McCoy started the 2013 season very well. He had a big game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 10. In Week 11, he had one of the best games of his career, with 6 tackles and 3 sacks. He tied a team record for sacks by a defensive tackle.
He was voted to his second straight Pro Bowl in 2013. He finished the season with 50 total tackles and 9 sacks. He was named first-team All-Pro, which means he was considered one of the best players in the league at his position.
2014 Season: Big Contract and Another Pro Bowl
The Buccaneers got a new head coach in 2014, Lovie Smith. McCoy continued to play strongly and was a leader on defense. In October 2014, he signed a large 7-year contract extension. This was the biggest contract ever for a defensive tackle at the time.
He injured his knee in Week 15 and missed the rest of the season. Even with the injury, he was selected to his third straight Pro Bowl.
2015 Season: Consistent Performance
Despite dealing with hand and shoulder injuries, McCoy still had a good season in 2015. He made 34 tackles and 8.5 sacks. This led to his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection. His fellow players ranked him 63rd among the top 100 players in the NFL.
2016 Season: Fifth Pro Bowl
In 2016, McCoy recorded seven sacks, 34 tackles, and two forced fumbles. He was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl and was also named second-team All-Pro. He was ranked 52nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017 Season: Sixth Pro Bowl
On December 19, 2017, McCoy was named to his sixth straight Pro Bowl. He finished the 2017 season with six sacks and 47 tackles in 15 games.
2018 Season: Final Year with Buccaneers
In his last season with the Buccaneers, McCoy finished with six sacks and 28 tackles. He was ranked 75th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019. After nine seasons, the Buccaneers released McCoy on May 20, 2019.
Carolina Panthers
On June 3, 2019, McCoy signed with the Carolina Panthers. In Week 6, he played against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He sacked his former teammate Jameis Winston 2.5 times in a winning effort. He finished the 2019 season with five sacks and 37 tackles.
Dallas Cowboys
On March 31, 2020, McCoy signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. However, he suffered a serious leg injury during practice. He was released by the Cowboys in August 2020 due to this injury.
Las Vegas Raiders
On August 4, 2021, McCoy signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Sadly, he suffered another season-ending knee injury in the very first game of the season. He was placed on injured reserve. Later, he was suspended for six games for violating the league's policy on certain substances.
Retirement
After not playing in 2022, Gerald McCoy announced his retirement from the NFL on April 14, 2023. In September 2023, he joined NFL Network as a football analyst, sharing his knowledge and insights about the game.
NFL Career Statistics
Here are Gerald McCoy's NFL career statistics:
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2010 | TB | 13 | 13 | 28 | 22 | 6 | 3.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | TB | 6 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | TB | 16 | 16 | 30 | 23 | 7 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | TB | 16 | 16 | 50 | 35 | 15 | 9.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 2014 | TB | 13 | 13 | 35 | 28 | 7 | 8.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | TB | 15 | 15 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 8.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | TB | 15 | 15 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | TB | 15 | 15 | 47 | 33 | 14 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | TB | 14 | 14 | 28 | 17 | 11 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | CAR | 16 | 16 | 37 | 15 | 22 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | LV | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 140 | 139 | 334 | 235 | 99 | 59.5 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 0 | |
Personal Life and Community Work
Gerald McCoy studied human relations at the University of Oklahoma. He has always been involved in his community. In 2012, he received the Pop Warner Little Scholars 'Inspiration to Youth' Award. This award recognizes people who inspire young athletes.
He also helped donate money to build a new football field in Clearwater, Florida. There, he and his teammates taught football drills to local kids. Gerald McCoy is married to Ebony McCoy, and they have five children. He also appeared in an episode of The League, a TV show about fantasy football.
See also
In Spanish: Gerald McCoy para niños
