Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He attended Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Texas, where he was named the East Texas Player of the Year and earned All-State honorable mention honors as a senior. McCown then played three seasons of college football for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University, where he passed for totals of 4,022 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions. He then transferred to play his final season of college football for the Bearkats of Sam Houston State University. In his only season with the Bearkats, he threw for 3,481 yards, 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, earning Southland Football League Player of the Year and Third-team Division I-AA All-American honors.
McCown was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and played for them for four seasons. He spent most of his career as a journeyman quarterback playing for 12 different teams. Initially retiring after the 2018 season and joining ESPN as an analyst, he returned to the NFL on a one-year deal with the Eagles during the preseason. He is an older brother of former NFL quarterback Luke McCown and a younger brother of former Texas A&M quarterback Randy McCown.
McCown grew up on a ranch in Jacksonville, Texas, and attended Jacksonville High School. He had a significant growth spurt in high school that helped his football career. McCown later said, "My first driver's license said 5-foot-4. At 16, I was 5–4." A coach of McCown's also said, "We knew Josh was going to be a good football player if he ever grew, but it sure took a while. He really started shooting up in the second half of his junior year." In McCown's senior year in 1997, he led the team to the playoffs and was the East Texas Player of the Year, District 17-4A Offensive Player of the Year, and an All-State honorable mention. He also played basketball and won All-District second team honors as a shooting guard his senior year. The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce inducted him into their Wall of Fame in 2013.

Return to Josh McCown Autograph Profile