Howdy everyone! My name is Caleb McCoy! That’s right, C-A-L-E-B. No, not Cole...that’s my older brother who speaks with a hokey Texas accent (which isn’t even real by the way). He played for the Portland Pythons for a bit before retiring early because he didn’t think there would be a place in the league for him and got busy with other pursuits so he retired from playing professional football. After talking to him for a bit, I decided to take a chance at making the pros and I hope to succeed where he failed. I know it won’t be easy, but I don’t mind sticking around the minor league and working my way up eventually. I thought about position switching and even changing my name to get away from the McCoy moniker, but that’s not me and ultimately I needed to be true to myself and my upbringing.
The McCoy Family
I’m the youngest brother of 5 in the McCoy clan and Cole is the oldest brother. It’s just our 3 sisters in between us and they are named: Charlotte, Carla, Catherine. As you can see, our parents had a thing for C names since they both have names that start with C as well, Christopher and Caroline. Growing up, my parents paid Cole the most attention and I think that really shaped who I was since I was always being compared to him and tried to do my best to hold up to his standard. My parents constantly talked about how great he was and so it was a lot of pressure for me growing up in his shadow. Since Cole started playing football in junior high, I had to start playing football in junior high. Since Cole started playing quarterback, then I had to start playing quarterback. You get the picture? I will say that they were very loving parents and I grew up never wanting anything so I’m blessed to have them in my life, but the psychological pressure was unbearable to say the least. You would think that kind of thing would deter me from playing football. Especially once I got out on my own and could make my own decisions, but somethings it’s not as easy finding your place in the word.
Why Football?
After high school, I was at a crossroads and knew that I was old enough to make my own decisions but not old enough to really know what it meant so I was lost on my own personal direction. I saw Cole get drafted to Portland at this time and I saw the success he was having in the league so I decided that maybe I needed to try out professional football. I will admit that it was fun watching him play and that team he had around him was amazing to say the least. I pictured myself in his shoes during that winning season and found myself still wanting to be him.
Even though I felt pressured into it my whole life, I didn’t know if there was another option for me. Football is all I’ve known my whole life and it wasn’t easy to step away since I had put in tons of time and effort learning how to be a quarterback. It’s arguably the most important position on any football team and when TCU gave me a scholarship offer, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to play and earn a degree. I was always a top student in my class and I knew that I could manager studying hard for my Civil Engineering degree while playing and practicing with the team. I think ultimately I was still chasing Cole’s shadow, but playing college football was going to give me a chance for a better future in life and football. It gave me options!
The Real McCoy
Well, after toying with the idea of switching positions and maybe playing some other position and even changing my name I reflected long and hard on everything. I talked to my pastor and old teammates from high school and I came to the conclusion that I needed to follow the path that seemed the most clear to me. I also had some good discussions with my coach at TCU and he encouraged me to follow my dreams. God works in mysterious ways as the saying goes and I believe that he put me in the position to play football and to give me a target to shoot for. In this case, it was Cole’s shadow and I’m surprised to make it to Portland like he did. I think God gave me the chance to play here and to try and follow Cole’s footsteps, but I want to do better than he did. I don’t want to play a few seasons and then fizzle out.
I have a real shot to make it and succeed where Cole failed. We may both play quarterback but we are built differently and have a different mindset to the game. Cole was a true gunslinger and his aggressive style helped the Pythons win an Ultimini. I’m the polar opposite and like watching the play unfold while quickly calculating the best possible outcome. I also don’t speak with a dumb, fake accent! They labeled me a ‘game manager’ and said I wouldn’t play as well as Cole did. If you look at the stats and compare us in high school and college then yeah, I didn’t have the big numbers that he did. I don’t have his arm, but I sure as hell threw the ball accurately. I think that’s what I’ll bring to the Pythons this season. A cool, calculated mentality that won’t result in turnovers. I don’t mind playing a slower pace and I hate making mistakes so that’s the type of player I am.
So I’m excited to play for Portland this season and bring home a couple trophies while I’m here. Who knows what the future will hold, but I will be here every day working in the gym and watching film every chance I get.
Let's go
!
The McCoy Family
I’m the youngest brother of 5 in the McCoy clan and Cole is the oldest brother. It’s just our 3 sisters in between us and they are named: Charlotte, Carla, Catherine. As you can see, our parents had a thing for C names since they both have names that start with C as well, Christopher and Caroline. Growing up, my parents paid Cole the most attention and I think that really shaped who I was since I was always being compared to him and tried to do my best to hold up to his standard. My parents constantly talked about how great he was and so it was a lot of pressure for me growing up in his shadow. Since Cole started playing football in junior high, I had to start playing football in junior high. Since Cole started playing quarterback, then I had to start playing quarterback. You get the picture? I will say that they were very loving parents and I grew up never wanting anything so I’m blessed to have them in my life, but the psychological pressure was unbearable to say the least. You would think that kind of thing would deter me from playing football. Especially once I got out on my own and could make my own decisions, but somethings it’s not as easy finding your place in the word.
Why Football?
After high school, I was at a crossroads and knew that I was old enough to make my own decisions but not old enough to really know what it meant so I was lost on my own personal direction. I saw Cole get drafted to Portland at this time and I saw the success he was having in the league so I decided that maybe I needed to try out professional football. I will admit that it was fun watching him play and that team he had around him was amazing to say the least. I pictured myself in his shoes during that winning season and found myself still wanting to be him.
Even though I felt pressured into it my whole life, I didn’t know if there was another option for me. Football is all I’ve known my whole life and it wasn’t easy to step away since I had put in tons of time and effort learning how to be a quarterback. It’s arguably the most important position on any football team and when TCU gave me a scholarship offer, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to play and earn a degree. I was always a top student in my class and I knew that I could manager studying hard for my Civil Engineering degree while playing and practicing with the team. I think ultimately I was still chasing Cole’s shadow, but playing college football was going to give me a chance for a better future in life and football. It gave me options!
The Real McCoy
Well, after toying with the idea of switching positions and maybe playing some other position and even changing my name I reflected long and hard on everything. I talked to my pastor and old teammates from high school and I came to the conclusion that I needed to follow the path that seemed the most clear to me. I also had some good discussions with my coach at TCU and he encouraged me to follow my dreams. God works in mysterious ways as the saying goes and I believe that he put me in the position to play football and to give me a target to shoot for. In this case, it was Cole’s shadow and I’m surprised to make it to Portland like he did. I think God gave me the chance to play here and to try and follow Cole’s footsteps, but I want to do better than he did. I don’t want to play a few seasons and then fizzle out.
I have a real shot to make it and succeed where Cole failed. We may both play quarterback but we are built differently and have a different mindset to the game. Cole was a true gunslinger and his aggressive style helped the Pythons win an Ultimini. I’m the polar opposite and like watching the play unfold while quickly calculating the best possible outcome. I also don’t speak with a dumb, fake accent! They labeled me a ‘game manager’ and said I wouldn’t play as well as Cole did. If you look at the stats and compare us in high school and college then yeah, I didn’t have the big numbers that he did. I don’t have his arm, but I sure as hell threw the ball accurately. I think that’s what I’ll bring to the Pythons this season. A cool, calculated mentality that won’t result in turnovers. I don’t mind playing a slower pace and I hate making mistakes so that’s the type of player I am.
So I’m excited to play for Portland this season and bring home a couple trophies while I’m here. Who knows what the future will hold, but I will be here every day working in the gym and watching film every chance I get.
Let's go
!
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Faith, Family, and Football[div align=center]
Faith, Family, and Football[div align=center]
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