Skip to main content
All Sooners

Former Oklahoma DL Gerald McCoy Officially Hangs Up the Cleats

Following a legendary run with the Sooners, McCoy established himself in the NFL with a a 12-year pro career and six Pro Bowls to go with countless charitable acts.
John E. Hoover|
Former Oklahoma DL Gerald McCoy Officially Hangs Up the Cleats
Former Oklahoma DL Gerald McCoy Officially Hangs Up the Cleats

In this story:

Oklahoma Sooners

One of the brightest football careers ever to come through Oklahoma formally came to an end on Friday.

Gerald McCoy, a two-time All-American and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle from Oklahoma City, officially retired.

McCoy, 35, made the announcement Friday morning on social media with a video that showed him hanging up his cleats and his “93” jersey and simply saying, “Thank you.”

McCoy came to OU from Southeast High School, where he was the USA Today national defensive player of the year and a Parade All-American.

McCoy redshirted his first season in Norman in 2006, then unleashed terror on opposing offenses from 2007-09, starting 40 consecutive games, making 83 total tackles, 14.5 quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in the national championship game against Florida.

He earned All-American honors in 2008 and 2009, and was the third player selected in the 2010 NFL Draft (two spots behind teammate Sam Bradford and one spot ahead of teammate Trent Williams) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McCoy played for the Bucs for nine seasons, made six consecutive Pro Bowls from 2012-17 and was a three-time NFL All-Pro selection.

Among Sooners, only Trent Williams (9) and Adrian Peterson (7) were named to more Pro Bowls. Tommy McDonald and Lee Roy Selmon also were named to six Pro Bowls.

He was released by Tampa Bay after the 2018 season in a cost-cutting move, and tried to continue his career – first in Carolina, where he played one season in 2019, then in Dallas, where he sustained a season-ending injury in Cowboys training camp in 2020, then in Las Vegas, where he played one game for the Raiders before another season-ending injury in 2021.

He collected 54.5 quarterback sacks in Tampa, which ranks fourth in team history.

In 12 NFL seasons, McCoy was paid just over $120 million, according to Spotrac.

During his career, McCoy and his foundation, Patricia Diane Foundation – named after his late mother, who died suddenly while McCoy was a freshman at OU – have donated countless hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities and has performed missionary work in Africa and various impoverished nations and communities. The foundation’s specialty is helping low-income, single-parent families realize their potential in and around Oklahoma City, Tampa, Dallas and Las Vegas.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

Share on XFollow johnehoover
Home/Football