Donovan McNabb

Donovan McNabb (born November 25, 1976, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is known as one of the leading dual-threat quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL), known for both his passing and rushing. During his 13-year career, he threw for 37,276 yards, which included 234 touchdown passes, while also rushing for 3,459 yards. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, he was with the team for 11 years and made one Super Bowl appearance (2004). He later played with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) and Minnesota Vikings before retiring in 2011. McNabb has since worked as a sports commentator.

Early life and collegiate career

McNabb and his elder brother, Sean, were raised in the Chicago area by their parents, Sam and Wilma McNabb, an electrical engineer and nurse, respectively. The younger McNabb played various sports while growing up, and as a teenager he began to focus on gridiron football. He played quarterback at Mount Carmel High School, and in 1991 he helped the school win the Illinois state title.

Although not heavily recruited, McNabb received a scholarship from Syracuse University, in the Big East Conference. He enrolled in 1994 but was redshirted as a freshman. The following year he made his collegiate football debut, immediately making an impact. That season he was named Big East Rookie of the Year, and he went on to set school records for career touchdown passes and yards gained. For his stellar play, McNabb was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year each of the next three years, and he finished fifth in Heisman voting in 1998. McNabb subsequently declared for the 1999 NFL draft, and he was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the second overall pick.

NFL career

McNabb, listed as being 6 feet 2 inches (1.9 meters) tall and weighing 240 pounds (108 kg), was an incredibly gifted athlete, known as a “mobile quarterback” because of his ability to both pass and run. Nevertheless, he had a lackluster rookie year with the Eagles, starting only six games while throwing for less than 1,000 yards. However, he and head coach Andy Reid subsequently ushered in an era of deep playoff runs. In the 2000 season and his first as a starter, McNabb had 21 touchdown passes while throwing for 3,365 yards, leading the team to a record of 11–5. The Eagles would eventually lose in the divisional round of the playoffs, their first of five consecutive playoff appearances. McNabb finished second in voting for the Most Valuable Player award and made his first of six career Pro Bowls.

In 2001 McNabb threw 25 touchdowns in the regular season and helped the Eagles reach the conference championship for the first time in some 20 years. However, the team lost to the St. Louis Rams. The following year the Eagles signed McNabb to a nine-year, $72 million contract. That season McNabb got off to a strong start, throwing 17 touchdowns in 10 games, before breaking his fibula. He sat out the rest of the season, and the Eagles were again defeated in the conference title game, this time by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McNabb returned for the 2003 season, and, although he threw only 16 touchdowns, he passed for 3,216 yards. For the second straight season, Philadelphia finished with a record of 12–4. And, as in the previous two seasons, the team reached the conference round but lost (to the Carolina Panthers).

Following this string of heartbreaks, McNabb and Philadelphia finally reached the Super Bowl in the 2004 season. That year he threw for 3,875 yards and had 31 touchdowns. Backed by his outstanding play, the Eagles finished the regular season with a 13–3 record, and they easily defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 27–10, in the conference championship game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIX. There McNabb and the Eagles faced defending champions Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The game was incredibly close, and the teams entered the fourth quarter tied, 14–14. However, a Patriot touchdown and field goal left the Eagles down 10 points with less than 9 minutes left to play. With time winding down, McNabb found Greg Lewis for a 30-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 3 points. However, the comeback was halted there, and the Patriots were once again crowned Super Bowl champions. McNabb finished the game with an incredible 357 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he also threw 3 costly interceptions.

After a dramatic end to a five-year playoff stretch, McNabb and the Eagles made the playoffs three more times over the next five seasons but never advanced beyond the conference championship. Following the 2009 season the 33-year-old McNabb was traded to the division rival Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks. The team finished the season 6–10 while missing the playoffs, and McNabb threw more interceptions than touchdowns for the first time in his career. In the 2011 season, his final year in the NFL, McNabb was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings. In a somewhat anticlimactic end to his career, he started only six games before retiring.

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Later activities and personal life

McNabb remained involved in football, working as a sports commentator for the NFL Network, Fox Sports, and ESPN, among others. However, in 2018 he was fired by ESPN after a TV stylist for the NFL Network (for which he no longer worked) accused the football star and others of sexual harassment. In 2023 McNabb began hosting a podcast. In addition, he has been a spokesperson for various companies, and in the 2000s he starred with his mother in a series of memorable commercials for Campbell’s Chunky Soup.

While attending Syracuse, McNabb met Raquel Nurse, who was on the school’s basketball team. The couple later married, and they have four children. Donovan and Raquel McNabb also run the McNabb Foundation, a philanthropic organization that has raised funding for the American Diabetes Association while also providing scholarships to students.