LeSean McCoy
LeSean Kamel McCoy, nicknamed "Shady", is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft. McCoy attended Bishop McDevitt High School from 2002 to 2006. In his senior year of high school, McCoy suffered a major ankle injury, which threatened his career. In his first year at Pittsburgh in 2007, he rushed for over 1,300 yards and recorded 14 touchdowns. In 2008, McCoy was selected as a second-team All-American. His 21 rushing touchdowns were third in the nation, only one behind the two leaders.
In 2010, he took over as the starting running back for the Eagles, and broke the 1,000-yard rushing barrier. In 2011, McCoy was named first-team All-Pro. In 2012, McCoy suffered a concussion that limited him to only 12 games. In 2013, McCoy led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,607, shattering the team's individual single-season rushing yards record that stood for 34 years. McCoy went on to become the all-time leading rusher for the Eagles after the 2014 season, breaking the record previously held by Wilbert Montgomery.
In the 2015 offseason, McCoy was traded to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. After the trade, he signed a new five-year contract worth $40 million. McCoy made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years in Buffalo, helping the team snap a 17-year playoff drought, and became one of a few select NFL running backs to surpass 10,000 career rushing yards. After playing four seasons with the Bills, he was released prior to the 2019 season. He finished his career with one season stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and 2020 respectively, winning a Super Bowl each season.
McCoy was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team; no player scored more touchdowns, ran for more yards, or gained more yards from scrimmage than McCoy did from 2010 to 2019.
After retiring, McCoy ventured into sports media. Since September 2024, McCoy has served as a co-host on the American sports and entertainment talk show The Facility on Fox Sports 1 alongside Emmanuel Acho, Chase Daniel, and James Jones.
Early life
McCoy was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His nickname is "Shady" and was given to him by his mother because of his mood swings where one second he would be happy and laughing and the next second would be upset and crying. He attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, the same high school attended by NFL running back Ricky Watters. He played high school football for the Crusaders while there.As a sophomore, he once rushed for 406 yards in a game. As a junior, he ran for 2,828 yards, scored 35 touchdowns, and earned Associated Press Class AAAA player of the year, Offensive MVP of the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Conference, 1st team Associated Press All-State. As a high school senior, he earned first team Class AAAA Associated Press All-State; During his senior season, McCoy had committed to Miami. However, academic issues and a broken ankle led McCoy to attend prep school at Milford Academy in New Berlin, New York for the 2006–07 school year. He had been invited to play in the Big 33 Football Classic and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that year, but ultimately did not participate in those games as he was still recovering from his injury. Following a coaching change at Miami, McCoy committed to the University of Pittsburgh on February 16, 2007.
At the 2004 State College NIKE Training Camp, McCoy recorded a 4.23 40-yard dash, the fastest 40-time of the event.
McCoy was "rated the nation's number 11 high school prospect" by recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. A 2006 ESPN evaluation described him as "lightning in a bottle every time he touches the ball."
In 2012, McCoy's high school number was retired at Bishop McDevitt. The only other McDevitt player whose number has been retired is Ricky Watters.
High school statistics
College career
Freshman year
McCoy entered Pittsburgh after finishing at Milford Academy. He started the season as a backup to LaRod Stephens-Howling who was the starting running back in 2006 and rushed for over 890 yards the previous season. In August 2007, Dave Grdnic wrote for Panthers Digest, "After just one week, LeSean McCoy has been as amazing as advertised. He's been dynamic on the field and off, banging up the middle on runs as hard as he bolts around end and talking just as good a game to the media.As a freshman, McCoy was the point-man for the "Wildcat offense" which the Pittsburgh Panthers unveiled in a September 2007 game against the Michigan State Spartans. In the Wildcat offense, McCoy lined up as quarterback in a shotgun formation and took direct snaps from center, A Sporting News article credited him for having one of the "best starts by a freshman running back at Pittsburgh since Tony Dorsett", while the Wildcat offense was criticized. "McCoy might need to be a combination of both Dorsett and Dan Marino for the Panthers to start producing some offense other than through his running." On October 2, 2007, ESPN writer Pat Forde featured McCoy under the "instant impact" section of his column. Forde had this to say, "Pittsburgh. When starting running back LaRod Stephens-Howling got hurt, McCoy stepped in and Wally Pipped him. McCoy has 503 rushing yards and six touchdowns, averaging six yards a carry." McCoy had a streak of four consecutive games, from October 10 to November 3, where he rushed for at least 120 yards. He rushed for a season-high 172 yards against Michigan State on September 15, just his third game at Pittsburgh. McCoy finished his freshman year ranked third in the Big East Conference and 25th in the NCAA Division I FBS in rushing yards with 1,328. McCoy was named to the Freshman All-American team by Rivals.com and was also a first team All-Big East selection by Rivals.com. In his final game of his freshman year, McCoy ran for 148 yards against rival West Virginia in the 100th Backyard Brawl to help the 28-point underdog Panthers defeat the then #2 Mountaineers. That win also knocked West Virginia from a probable spot in the BCS National Championship Game.
Sophomore year
McCoy entered his sophomore year as one of the top running backs in college football. In an article written by Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in late July 2008, McCoy's coach Dave Wannstedt had this to say about McCoy's approach in the off-season, "He's been very mature, he's taken the right approach," Wannstedt said. "I like to see a talented young guy who takes the initiative to want to be the best he can be and he clearly is doing his part." In mid August 2008, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Tony Dorsett told the Associated Press that "He reminded me of me. That looked a lot like No.33.Pittsburgh started the 2008 season ranked inside the top 25 for the first time in five years. The Panthers faced Bowling Green at home to start the season, but fell to the Falcons 27–17. McCoy had one rushing touchdown and 71 rushing yards in a losing effort. This was McCoy's second lowest rushing total of the season. McCoy and the Panthers proceeded to win seven out of their next eight games. He had a streak of five games from September 27 to November 1 where he recorded over 140 rushing yards per game. During that five-game streak, he had 762 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. McCoy's best game was still ahead of him. After suffering a loss on the road to Cincinnati, a game in which McCoy led Pittsburgh in both rushing and receiving yards, Pittsburgh got a win at home against the West Virginia Mountaineers and McCoy rushed for 183 yards that day, setting a career-high which was previously 172, set during his freshman year. He also added two touchdowns that day, both coming in the fourth quarter. McCoy closed out the regular season with 95 rushing yards a touchdown in a winning effort 34–10 against the Connecticut Huskies. The Panthers were ranked #18 in the AP Poll following the win against the Huskies. McCoy's final college football game of his career was the 2008 Sun Bowl played on New Year's Eve in El Paso, Texas. He rushed for 85 yards, and the Panthers fell in a defensive battle to Oregon State by a score of 3–0.
McCoy had said in November 2008 and in January 2009 that he was coming back to Pittsburgh for his junior year. On January 7, 2009, McCoy notified Wannstedt of his decision to go pro. However, he delayed the decision until January 14, when he officially announced he was leaving for the NFL. Talking to Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, who also left after two years, helped sway McCoy. The team's performance in the Sun Bowl, did not have any influence though. On January 14, 2009, the University of Pittsburgh announced that McCoy declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft, forgoing his final two years of eligibility. The serious injury he sustained his senior year at Bishop McDevitt was a factor in his decision to enter the draft early. "As a result of a season-ending injury my senior year, I learned a humbling lesson," McCoy said. "Nothing is promised to us and it can all be taken away in a moment."
College statistics
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
2009 season
McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round with the 53rd overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. He was the fourth running back to be selected that year. He signed a four-year contract for $3.47 million, including $1.72 million guaranteed, with the team on June 29, 2009.McCoy was pressed into service as a starter in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 27, 2009, when the Eagles deactivated starter Brian Westbrook due to an ankle injury. He scored his first touchdown in the first quarter of the game on a five-yard rush. McCoy started against the New York Giants on November 1, 2009. He carried the ball eleven times for 82 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for ten yards. McCoy made his third start for an NBC Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys. McCoy rushed 13 times for 54 yards and caught five passes for 61 yards in a 20–16 losing effort. Westbrook sustained a concussion against San Diego and McCoy was called on again to be the starter in a road game against the Chicago Bears on NBC Sunday Night Football. He rushed 20 times for 99 yards and a touchdown, as the Eagles won the game 24–20.
On December 20, 2009, against the San Francisco 49ers, McCoy broke the all-time Eagles rookie rushing record with 606 yards on the year. The record was previously set by Correll Buckhalter with 586 yards in 2001. Also in December, the New York Daily News wrote about the top ten rookies in 2009. McCoy was listed fourth on the list and this was what writer Ralph Vacchiano had to say, "The fact that the Eagles are rolling without Brian Westbrook is, in part, a testament to how good this rookie is." Overall, in the 2009 season, he finished with 637 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, and 40 receptions for 308 receiving yards. The Eagles finished with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the Dallas Cowboys, McCoy had five carries for 24 yards in his playoff debut, a 34–14 loss.