Colt McCoy Acts Like A Hero – On And Off The Field

Texas QB Appears on the Cover of ESPN The Magazine’s College Football Preview Issue

Plus – Survey of 85 College Football Players & The
Debut of a New Column: The Insider

College football is officially in the spotlight and no player feels the heat more than ESPN The Magazine’s cover athlete, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. After finishing second in the Heisman voting and coming within mere points to get a bid in the BCS Championship Game, McCoy returns for his senior year to prove he’s the best quarterback in the country. In “Colt Hero,” writer Alyssa Roenigk profiles Texas fans whose love for McCoy extends far beyond the goal line. From saving a life -- to helping a child fight cancer -- to inspiring a grown man to buy a burnt-orange No.12 rubber ducky, this Longhorn can do it all. The new issue of ESPN The Magazine is on newsstands today.

Highlights:

Ken & Patina Herrington, McCoy’s neighbors in Graham, TX:

• “Colt charged up the hill, without his shoes and with a flashlight, to guide the EMTs down to Ken (Herrington), a former NASA engineer who helped put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. Once Ken was stabilized, Colt, Brad (McCoy) and several neighbors helped the EMTs carry Ken’s stretcher up the path. It wasn’t until Ken was in the medevac that Patina (Herrington) realized who had helped her husband.”

Sergio Gonzales, 12-year-old cancer survivor from Austin:

• “’Colt treats me like I’m not sick,’ says Sergio (Gonzales), who is now cancer-free and plans to return to school part-time in the fall. ‘Colt told me to keep fighting, to never give up,’ he says.”

Kay Whitton, McCoy’s high school business teacher in Tuscola, TX:

• “”Hey, Miss (Kay) Whitton! It’s Colt. I’m in the limo, and we’re about to go under the Hudson River.’ Whitton was giddy. During the show, ESPN ran a segment on Tuscola, and McCoy was calling to thank his favorite teacher for helping with the logistics. ‘I can’t tell you what a feeling that was, knowing he took time out of his crazy schedule to call,’ she says.”

Also in the preview, writers Bruce Feldman and Ryan Hockensmith survey 85 current college players about the state of their game and the results are revealed in “College Football Confidential.” Should players be paid? Does college football need a playoff? Do you have any gay teammates? In exchange for the truth, players were granted complete anonymity. Here is one poll where the athletes have the final say.

Sample questions and results:

• “Do any players on your team take steroids or other PEDs?
• Of those surveyed, 55% said they know of at least one teammate taking PEDs. Among non-BCS players, 53% answered yes; 58% of BCS players said yes.”
• “Do you have any gay teammates?
• Almost half of those surveyed (49.4%, to be exact) said yes, they believe they have at least one gay teammate. In the Pac-10, 70% of those surveyed said yes.”
• “Should players be paid?
• A scholarship is worth about $19K a year. It sounds like a lot until you realize ’08 bowl teams made 148 mil in postseason profit alone. That’s why 71% of players want to be paid.”

The College Football Preview also includes a complete breakdown of the kickoff, a feature on LSU’s Trindon Holliday, a profile on players who skipped the NFL for their senior year and an in-depth analysis of all the top conferences.

The Mag also premieres a new column – The Insider, which is a rotating piece written by our top experts who use their exclusive access and insight to bring readers closer to the sports. This week writer Peter Keating explains how coaches are costing their teams victories by shunning onside kicks. Magazine subscribers get extra content for free by visiting Insider.

Additional Features:

TEEN. HUNGER. FORCE. Is U.S. women’s tennis in dire straits? Not if Melanie Oudin and other young Americans have their way. Lindsay Berra reports.

THE EVERTON WAY. All over America, youth teams are following in the footsteps of a scrappy English Premier League squad. World beware! Paul Kix reports.