Josh McCown Signs with Hartford Colonials
August 3, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Hartford Colonials News Release
EAST HARTFORD, CT - August 3, 2010 - The Hartford Colonials of the United Football League have signed quarterback Josh McCown. The announcement was made at Rentschler Field, the home stadium for the Colonials. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We're excited to have Josh join the Hartford Colonials. His veteran leadership will help our football team," Colonials Head Coach and General Manager Chris Palmer said. "He's a guy who has played in the National Football League for a number of years, and his experience is something that we'll lean on."
Coach Palmer added, "Josh talked about coming in and competing and wanting to show people he can still play. That's what you're looking for in a veteran player."
McCown is underlining his support to the community both on and off the football field by agreeing to donate $10,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford. He will personally present a check for that amount tonight at the Asylum Hill location on 170 Sigourney Street at 7 p.m.
"The UFL is delighted that players such as Josh McCown champion good causes and make charitable donations to benefit the local community in the city where they are playing," said UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue. "Josh wanted to give back to the Hartford area where he will spend this period of his career and we are impressed by his generosity."
Prior to signing with the Colonials, McCown played eight NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2002-05), Detroit Lions (20006), Oakland Raiders (2007) and Carolina Panthers (2008-09). He was in training camp with the Miami Dolphins, who traded him to Carolina on Aug. 29, 2008.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to play football for the Hartford Colonials and compete in the UFL," McCown said. "Coach Palmer is an excellent coach and has a great reputation when it comes to working with quarterbacks. I'm looking forward to learning from him and continuing to grow as a player."
In 49 NFL games, McCown has completed 610 of 1,058 of his passes (57.7 percent) for 6,584 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has thrown 33 touchdown passes in 31 starts.
Between 2003-05, McCown played in 33 games with 22 starts for the Cardinals. During that three-year span he completed 491 of 844 passes (58.2 percent) for 5,365 yards and 25 touchdowns. His best season was 2004, when he threw for 2,511 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games (13 starts) for Arizona.
McCown got his first victory as a starting QB on Dec. 28, 2003, when he threw two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals erased an 11-point deficit in the closing minutes to defeat the Vikings 18-17. McCown, who was 20-of-33 for 224 yards in the game, completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Nate Poole with 4 seconds left to end Minnesota's chance at qualifying for the playoffs.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound McCown started nine games for the Raiders in 2007, where he shared QB duties with Daunte Culpepper. The two will be on opposing sidelines Sept. 18 when the Colonials play the Sacramento Mountain Lions and Culpepper in the 2010 UFL season opener at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
McCown, 31, saw little action the last two years with the Carolina Panthers. Last season he was placed on Injured Reserve after Week 1. In 2008, he served as a backup to Panthers QB Jake Delhomme.
McCown, a native of Jacksonville, Texas, was originally selected by Arizona in the third round (81st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Sam Houston State. He played his first three collegiate seasons at Southern Methodist University.
McCown joins Ryan Perrilloux (LSU/Jacksonville St.) and Andre Woodson (Kentucky) as quarterbacks on Hartford's roster. The three will participate in training camp, which starts Aug. 18 at Sage Park in Berlin. Practice sessions are open to the public and admission is free.
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