Less than a year after throwing the final pass of his University of Texas football career, Colt McCoy will have one of the school’s highest football honors bestowed upon him at the end of this month.
Provided he survives his first career NFL start this weekend against fellow UT alum Casey Hampton and the Pittsburgh Steelers, McCoy will have his No. 12 jersey retired prior to the Oct. 30 game against Baylor. McCoy’s NFL team, the Cleveland Browns, is on a bye that weekend, creating the window for an honor that’s previously been given to just five other Longhorns in the school’s storied history.
“I was just overwhelmed, humbled and psyched when I was told about his,” McCoy said in a statement. “It’s a dream come true!
“This is such a tremendous honor, but it’s not about me. It’s about all the great coaches that helped me develop as a player and a man, the tremendous teammates that made my job so much easier and the most supportive family anyone could ask for.”
“We’re very, very proud of Colt and every time we look at his name in the upper part of the stadium with the other great names that have played for The University of Texas, we’ll be proud of him, proud of his team and proud of their accomplishments,” head coach Mack Brown said.
McCoy set an NCAA record with 45 wins during his four years in Austin and was twice named the Walter Camp Player of the Year; one of the school’s requirements for the retiring of a jersey number is winning a national player of the year honor.
McCoy will join Earl Campbell (No. 20), Bobby Layne (11), Tommy Nobis (60), Ricky Williams (34) and Vince Young (10) as the six football players who’ve had their number retired.