Stephen McGee

Stephen Richard McGee (born September 27, 1985 in Round Rock, Texas) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football for Texas A&M.

McGee came into A&M as a highly-regarded passing quarterback, though had to play in an option offense for three years under head coach Dennis Franchione. When Franchione left and Mike Sherman took over, McGee had the chance to thrive in a pro-style offense his senior season. He fell short, however, due to a recurring shoulder injury. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2009 NFL Draft in the fourth round, number 101 overall.

High school career
McGee was a three-year starter at quarterback for Class 3A Burnet High School, where he led his team to a 36-5 combined record, including a 28-2 mark as a junior and senior. He did not throw a single interception during the regular season of his senior year. In both of those seasons, he led his team to the 3A state finals. He finished his high school career with 8,256 passing yards and a 3A state-record 101 passing touchdowns. He was a two-time all-state selection and was named the 3A Offensive Most Valuable Player after his senior season.

He also played basketball and track and field, earning all-district honors in both. A straight-A student, McGee was Burnet's best student-athlete and graduated 9th in his senior class of over 250. He graduated high school a semester early.

McGee attended high school with former University of Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley who was recently waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 8/31/2012. They both still remain close friends and hunting partners.

2005 season
After redshirting the 2004 season, McGee played his debut game as an Aggie against SMU in 2005, compiling 3-of-3 passes for 56 yards in a 66–8 victory. He continued to play as a backup to starter Reggie McNeal in the games against Colorado, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. He took over the starting role for the final two games of the season due to an injury to McNeal. In those two games, McGee rushed for 175 yards on 34 carries (5.1 per carry) and completed 9-of-29 passes for 83 yards, while leading the Aggies to 10 scoring opportunities on 19 drives. During the final matchup against Texas, though McGee outrushed Texas quarterback Vince Young 108 yards to 19, the Aggies lost 29–40 to the Longhorns.

For the 2005 season, McGee recorded 24-of-53 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns and one interception in eight games. He rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries (5.5 average).

2006 season
During the 2006 season, McGee started all 13 games, leading the team to a 9–4 record. He led the Aggies to a 12-7 victory over rival Texas with a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. The A&M victory helped end the hopes of the 2006 UT team at winning back-to-back Big 12 Conference championship and at a third consecutive Bowl Championship Series berth.

During the 2006 season, McGee broke the A&M single-season completion record, successfully completing 62% of his passes, recording 12 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions.



2007 season
In June 2007, McGee appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football alongside Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and TCU defensive end Tommy Blake.

On October 20, 2007, McGee was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 167 yards on 35 carries against Nebraska. McGee passed for a career-high of 362 yards in the 2007 Texas game, leading his team to a second consecutive victory over the Longhorns.

In the 2007 season, McGee contributed to 62 percent of the team's total offensive yards. He passed for 2,311 and rushed for 899 yards.

2008 season
Prior to the 2008 season, Mike Sherman took over as the Aggies' head coach. McGee competed for the starting job with sophomore Jerrod Johnson. He was named the starter for the season opener against Arkansas State on August 30, 2008. The Aggies lost the game 18–14. In the second game against New Mexico, McGee sprained his shoulder. Johnson replaced McGee for the remainder of the game. In the following game against Army, McGee re-aggravated his shoulder during the second quarter and likewise had to sit out for the rest of the game.

McGee did not see action in the following two games against Oklahoma State and Kansas State. In the Texas Tech game, he entered the field for one play, which he used to throw a 3-yard touchdown. Afterwards, he did not play in the victories against Iowa State and Colorado. He saw action in the home matchup against Oklahoma, which also happened to be Senior Day. He entered the game in the third quarter to a standing ovation from the fans. He finished the game completing 10-of-19 passes for 82 yards. The Aggies lost to the Sooners 66–28. He played his last and final game against Texas, accumulating 16-of-24 passes for 207 yards, and 3 rushing attempts for a negative 20 yards in a 49–9 loss.

After the season, McGee was named the 2008 winner of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' National Bobby Bowden Award, which recognizes the "student athlete who conducts himself as a faith model in the community, in the classroom and on the field".

In the East-West Shrine Game on January 17, 2009, McGee shared the quarterback role for the West team, completing 9-of-14 passes for 128 yards and one touchdown in a 24–19 loss.

College awards

 * 2x All-Big 12 honorable mention (2006, 2007)
 * 2x First team Academic All-Big 12 (2007, 2008)
 * Bobby Bowden Award winner (2008)

Pre-draft
At the 2009 NFL Combine, McGee ran a 4.66-second 40-yard dash, which ranked second in his group. He came in 4th after recording 33.0 inches in the vertical jump, and 5th with his 9'4" in the broad jump. He weighed 222 pounds and measured 6-foot-2⅞ at the Texas A&M Pro Day on March 4, 2009.

Dallas Cowboys
In the 2009 NFL Draft, McGee was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (101st overall). Prior to the draft, he expressed interest in playing for the Cowboys. He became the first quarterback drafted by the Cowboys since Quincy Carter in 2001, and the second since 1991. The Cowboys believed him to be a project player since he was mostly an option quarterback in college. However, they also believed he had a strong arm, the build, and the work ethic to succeed. He signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys on July 28, 2009.

McGee made his first start in the 2010 preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins. McGee led Dallas to a 27–25 victory over Miami's first-stringers, completing 27-of-42 passes for 304 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.

After starter Tony Romo was placed on injured reserve in 2010, McGee became the Cowboys' second-string quarterback, behind Jon Kitna. During the 2010 Christmas Day game against the Arizona Cardinals, McGee replaced the injured Kitna in the second half, and made his first regular season touchdown pass. The touchdown gave the Cowboys a 26–24 lead with 1:47 remaining, but the Cardinals soon scored a field goal to win 27–26. McGee recorded 11-of-17 passes for 111 yards and a quarterback rating of 102.8. In the Cowboys' season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, McGee started his first NFL game. He went 11-27, 127 yards, and a touchown to Jason Witten with 55 seconds left to give Dallas a 14-13 victory over their divisional rival.

During the 2011 Christmas Eve 20–7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, McGee replaced the injured Romo and completed 24-of-38 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.

On September 1, 2012, McGee was cut by the Cowboys. McGee tried out for the Chicago Bears on December 12.

Houston Texans
He signed a Reserve/Future contract with the Houston Texans on January 24, 2013.

Passing
Sources:

Outside of football
McGee completed his undergraduate coursework in less than four years, receiving a B.B.A. in marketing from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University in August 2007. He completed his M.S. in Marketing at Mays in 2008.

McGee enjoys hunting. His dream job is to become a professional deer hunter.