Josh McCown facts for kids
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McCown with the Cleveland Browns in 2016
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| Minnesota Vikings | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterbacks coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 4, 1979 Jacksonville, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Jacksonville (Texas) | ||||||||||||
| College: | SMU (1998–2000) Sam Houston State (2001) |
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| NFL Draft: | 2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 81 | ||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League (NFL). McCown played college football for the SMU Mustangs and Sam Houston Bearkats. He was picked by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2002 NFL draft. He played for 18 seasons in the NFL with 12 different teams. He also spent one season in the United Football League (UFL).
Contents
- Early Life and College Football
- Professional Playing Career
- Coaching Career
- Personal Life
- See also
Early Life and College Football
Growing Up in Texas
Josh McCown was born on July 4, 1979, in Jacksonville, Texas. He grew up on his family's ranch. He went to Jacksonville High School. McCown had a big growth spurt in high school. This helped his football career a lot. He once said that at 16, his driver's license said he was 5-foot-4.
In his senior year of high school in 1997, McCown led his team to the playoffs. He was named the East Texas Player of the Year. He also played basketball and earned honors there. In 2013, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce added him to their Wall of Fame.
College Journey
McCown played college football for the SMU Mustangs from 1998 to 2000. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. He started 25 games for the Mustangs. In 1999, he set a school record by completing 19 passes in a row against Tulsa.
For his senior year, McCown moved to Sam Houston State University to play for the Sam Houston State Bearkats. He wanted to play in an offense that threw the ball more. In his one season with the Bearkats in 2001, he threw for 3,481 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was named the Southland Football League Player of the Year. He also earned third-team Division I-AA All-American honors. The Bearkats finished with a 10–3 record and were co-champions of their league.
McCown set new school records for completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns in a single season. He also ran for 351 yards and 6 touchdowns. After his senior year, he was considered for the Walter Payton Award. This award goes to the best player in NCAA Division I-AA football. He finished seventh in the voting. McCown was later inducted into the Sam Houston Athletic Hall of Honor in 2013.
College Statistics
| Year | Team | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1998 | SMU | 46 | 99 | 46.5 | 619 | 6.3 | 7 | 8 | 106.2 | 51 | 35 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 1999 | SMU | 125 | 234 | 53.4 | 1,434 | 6.1 | 11 | 10 | 111.9 | 69 | −9 | −0.1 | 1 |
| 2000 | SMU | 169 | 331 | 51.1 | 1,969 | 5.9 | 9 | 16 | 100.3 | 78 | 175 | 2.2 | 3 |
| 2001 | Sam Houston State | 259 | 429 | 60.4 | 3,481 | 8.1 | 32 | 12 | 147.6 | 112 | 351 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Career | 599 | 1,093 | 54.8 | 7,503 | 6.9 | 59 | 46 | 121.9 | 310 | 552 | 1.7 | 10 | |
Professional Playing Career
McCown had a long and interesting career in the NFL. He was known for being a great teammate and a smart player. He played for many different teams, often stepping in when other quarterbacks were injured.
Arizona Cardinals (2002–2005)
McCown was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft. He was the fourth quarterback chosen that year. He played for the Cardinals from 2002 to 2005. He was mostly a backup, but he became the main starter in 2004.
In 2003, McCown helped the Cardinals win a dramatic game against the Minnesota Vikings. He threw a game-winning 28-yard touchdown pass as time ran out. This win kept the Vikings out of the playoffs and helped the Green Bay Packers get in.
In 2005, McCown started a historic game in Mexico City. It was the first NFL regular season game played outside the U.S. The game had over 103,000 fans, setting a record for attendance. McCown's jersey from that game is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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Detroit Lions (2006) and Oakland Raiders (2007)
In 2006, McCown signed with the Detroit Lions. He was a backup quarterback. Interestingly, he even played a few snaps as a wide receiver in some games. He caught two passes for 15 yards. He later said playing receiver changed his view of the position.
In 2007, McCown was traded to the Oakland Raiders. He competed for the starting job and won it. He started nine games for the Raiders that season.
Carolina Panthers (2008–2009)
McCown signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2008, but was traded to the Carolina Panthers before the season started. He was a backup quarterback for the Panthers. In 2009, he suffered a knee and foot injury early in the season. This ended his year.
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Hartford Colonials (2010)
In 2010, McCown joined the Hartford Colonials in the UFL. He chose to play there to get more playing time. He felt it was important to honor his contract. He had a good season, throwing for 1,463 yards and 10 touchdowns in 8 games. He was named the Offensive Player of the Week in Week 1.
Chicago Bears (2011–2013)
McCown signed with the Chicago Bears in 2011. He became a backup after the starting quarterback was injured. He started a few games and played well.
In 2013, McCown had one of his best seasons. He stepped in when the starter was injured. He led the Bears to a win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. He also threw for a career-high 4 touchdowns in a game against the Cowboys. He became the first Bears quarterback since 1970 to score five touchdowns in a game (4 passing, 1 rushing). His passer rating of 109.0 was the best in Bears history for a single season. He was named to the USA Today All-Joe Team.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014)
In 2014, McCown signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was named the starting quarterback. He played in 11 games, but the team struggled. He was released after one season.
Cleveland Browns (2015–2016)
McCown joined the Cleveland Browns in 2015. He was named the starting quarterback. In Week 5, he set a new Browns record for passing yards in a regular season game with 457 yards. He also became the first NFL player to have over 450 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, and no interceptions in one game. His jerseys from this game were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played through injuries, showing his toughness.
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New York Jets (2017–2018)
In 2017, McCown signed with the New York Jets. He was named the starting quarterback. He had a career-best season, setting personal highs in completions (267), passing yards (2,926), and passing touchdowns (18). He also rushed for 5 touchdowns. He became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to set a career-high for touchdown passes in a season. He was named the Jets Team MVP.
In 2018, McCown remained with the Jets as a backup. He started a few games when the main quarterback was injured.
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Philadelphia Eagles (2019–2020)
McCown announced his retirement in June 2019 and joined ESPN as an NFL analyst. However, he came out of retirement in August 2019 to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles after they had injuries to their backup quarterbacks.
In the playoffs that year, McCown stepped in when the starting quarterback was injured. At 40 years old, he became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to make his postseason debut. He played most of the game with a torn hamstring, showing incredible determination.
In 2020, the Eagles signed McCown to their practice squad as an emergency quarterback. He became the oldest practice squad player in NFL history. He worked remotely from his home in Texas, video conferencing into team meetings. He even threw the football with his sons, who were high school players.
Houston Texans (2020)
In November 2020, McCown was signed by the Houston Texans. He served as a third-string quarterback. He was released in March 2021.
McCown played in 102 regular season NFL games, starting 76 of them. He completed 60.2% of his passes for 17,731 yards, 98 touchdowns, and 82 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,106 yards and 13 touchdowns.
NFL Regular Season Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2002 | ARI | 2 | 0 | – | 7 | 18 | 38.9 | 66 | 3.7 | 0 | 2 | 10.2 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 0 | 5 | 50 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | ARI | 8 | 3 | 1–2 | 95 | 166 | 57.2 | 1,018 | 6.1 | 5 | 6 | 70.3 | 28 | 158 | 5.6 | 1 | 25 | 174 | 10 | 2 |
| 2004 | ARI | 14 | 13 | 6–7 | 233 | 408 | 57.1 | 2,511 | 6.2 | 11 | 10 | 74.1 | 36 | 112 | 3.1 | 2 | 31 | 263 | 12 | 5 |
| 2005 | ARI | 9 | 6 | 3–3 | 163 | 270 | 60.4 | 1,836 | 6.8 | 9 | 11 | 74.9 | 29 | 139 | 4.8 | 0 | 18 | 101 | 5 | 3 |
| 2006 | DET | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | OAK | 9 | 9 | 2–7 | 111 | 190 | 58.4 | 1,151 | 6.1 | 10 | 11 | 69.4 | 29 | 143 | 4.9 | 0 | 14 | 92 | 11 | 3 |
| 2008 | CAR | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | −3 | −0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | CAR | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 6 | 16.7 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | CHI | 3 | 2 | 1–1 | 35 | 55 | 63.6 | 414 | 7.5 | 2 | 4 | 68.3 | 12 | 68 | 5.7 | 0 | 7 | 43 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | CHI | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| 2013 | CHI | 8 | 5 | 3–2 | 149 | 224 | 66.5 | 1,829 | 8.2 | 13 | 1 | 109.0 | 13 | 69 | 5.3 | 1 | 11 | 37 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | TB | 11 | 11 | 1–10 | 184 | 327 | 56.3 | 2,206 | 6.7 | 11 | 14 | 70.5 | 25 | 127 | 5.1 | 3 | 36 | 235 | 10 | 4 |
| 2015 | CLE | 8 | 8 | 1–7 | 186 | 292 | 63.7 | 2,109 | 7.2 | 12 | 4 | 93.3 | 20 | 98 | 4.9 | 1 | 23 | 137 | 9 | 6 |
| 2016 | CLE | 5 | 3 | 0–3 | 90 | 165 | 54.5 | 1,100 | 6.7 | 6 | 6 | 72.3 | 7 | 21 | 3.0 | 0 | 18 | 126 | 7 | 4 |
| 2017 | NYJ | 13 | 13 | 5–8 | 267 | 397 | 67.3 | 2,926 | 7.4 | 18 | 9 | 94.5 | 37 | 124 | 3.4 | 5 | 39 | 264 | 11 | 4 |
| 2018 | NYJ | 4 | 3 | 0–3 | 60 | 110 | 54.5 | 539 | 4.9 | 1 | 4 | 55.8 | 5 | 32 | 6.4 | 0 | 7 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | PHI | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | 5 | 60.0 | 24 | 4.8 | 0 | 0 | 72.1 | 2 | −2 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | HOU | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| Career | 102 | 76 | 23–53 | 1,584 | 2,633 | 60.2 | 17,731 | 6.7 | 98 | 82 | 79.7 | 248 | 1,106 | 4.5 | 13 | 235 | 1,563 | 81 | 32 | |
NFL Playoff Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2019 | PHI | 1 | 0 | – | 18 | 24 | 75.0 | 174 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 94.8 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 0–0 | 18 | 24 | 75.0 | 174 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 94.8 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 | |
UFL Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2010 | HAR | 8 | 114 | 202 | 56.4 | 1,463 | 7.2 | 10 | 8 | 79.3 | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 0 |
| Career | 8 | 114 | 202 | 56.4 | 1,463 | 7.2 | 10 | 8 | 79.3 | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 0 | |
Coaching Career
High School Coaching
McCown has also spent time coaching football at the high school level. He volunteered as a quarterbacks coach for the Marvin Ridge High School Mavericks in North Carolina. He would often join the team right after his own NFL seasons ended. He even cooked pancakes for the team's breakfast meetings!
He also coached at Myers Park High School and Rusk High School in Texas. His sons played at these schools. The Eagles even allowed him to fly to Charlotte on Mondays and Fridays to help coach his sons' team.
NFL Coaching
In 2023, McCown was hired by the Carolina Panthers as their quarterbacks coach. He worked under head coach Frank Reich. However, he was fired along with the head coach after a tough start to the season.
In 2024, McCown became the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings. He now works under head coach Kevin O'Connell.
Personal Life
Josh McCown is married to Natalie, and they have four children. He has moved several times, living in North Carolina and Texas. He is a Christian.
He grew up a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys. He wears jersey number 12 because of his hero, Roger Staubach, who also wore that number. He also admired other famous quarterbacks like Joe Montana and John Elway.
Josh is the older brother of former NFL quarterback Luke McCown. He is also the younger brother of former Texas A&M quarterback Randy McCown. In 2003, the McCown brothers started a passing camp in their hometown. Josh is also the father of UTSA Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown.
McCown is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has spent time speaking to church youth and men's groups.
See also
In Spanish: Josh McCown para niños
