5 - Donovan McNabb
Position: Quarterback
Height, Weight: 6-2, 240
Born: 11/25/76 in Chicago, IL
College: Syracuse
High School: Mt. Carmel, Chicago, IL
NFL Experience: 13th Season
Joined NFL: First Round draft choice in 1999 (2nd overall) by Philadelphia
Current Status: Unrestricted free agent
A first round draft pick in 1999 by the Philadelphia Eagles, and the second player overall, Donovan McNabb has raised the bar with superstar accomplishments on and off the playing field. He took over as the Eagles starting quarterback in game 10 as a rookie and has not looked back. His .612 (98-62-1) win percentage as a starter ranks near the top among active QBs.
His 98 wins rank 12th in NFL history behind eight Hall of Famers and three sure-fire selections (Breet Favre, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning).
During his first 11 seasons, Donovan helped resurrect an Eagles franchise that finished 3-13 in 1998, the year before he joined the club. With Donovan under center, the club posted one of the best records in the NFL, averaging 10 wins per season. In addition, the Eagles went to the postseason eight times, won the NFC East Division five times, played in five NFC Championship Games, and had their first Super Bowl berth in 24 years.
At only 33 years old, he has established himself as one of the finest players in Eagles franchise history. His 4,746 pass attempts, 2,801 completions, 32,873 passing yards, and 216 TD passes are franchise records. Donovan piloted the club to more wins (92), postseason games (16) and postseason victories (9) than any other QB in team history.
On April 5, 2010, he was traded to the Washington Redskins. Despite starting just 13 games in 2010, he led the Redskins to more
wins (5) than they totaled during the 2009 season. One of those
victories came at the expense of Philadelphia on October 3, when Donovan
returned to Lincoln Financial Field for a 17-12 win over the Eagles.
Three of the wins he posted were over 2010 playoff teams - Philadelphia,
Green Bay and Chicago.
Donovan joined his third team in
three years when the Redskins traded Donovan to Minnesota on July 27, 2011. Despite leading Minnesota to five 4th quarter leads in the first six games, the Vikings managed just one victory and inserted Christian Ponder, their 2011 1st round selection, under center.
Perseverance and hard-work has helped Donovan battle back from injuries that shortened his 2005 and 2006 seasons. The fortitude that helped him through perhaps his best statistical performance – on 11/20/02 vs. Arizona when he played the final three quarters on a broken ankle yet was 20-25 passing for 255 yards and 4 TDs – has served him well in his return from a sports hernia and torn ACL. His performance during the most recent 2008 season, when he led the Eagles to a fifth NFC Championship game while starting all 19 games, reestablished him as one of the best QBs in the NFL.
But, some of his proudest gains can be found off the field. A great personality combined with a sense of humor and extraordinary work ethic has spilled into his community efforts through the Donovan McNabb Fund (DM5). His primary focus is with diabetes awareness and prevention (a disease that affects his family, including father, Samuel), as the national spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association. Some of his annual events include scholarships to the Donovan McNabb Diabetes Camp for Kids, the DM5 All Star Kids Football Clinic, and holiday events at Thanksgiving and Christmas to benefit family shelters and underprivileged children. Other efforts through DM5 include academic scholarships to his high school (Mt. Carmel, a parochial school outside Chicago), various churches in the Philadelphia and Chicago areas, Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, the American Red Cross, and the Fraternal Order of Police.
A starter all four years at Syracuse, he earned a communications degree from the University and currently sits on the Board of Trustees. The Big East player of the decade (1990s), he holds multiple Conference and school records. He also played two seasons on the Orangemen basketball team including the 1995-96 squad that lost to Kentucky in the NCAA Finals.
Donovan married his college sweetheart, Raquel Nurse, in 2003. Roxi was also a standout athlete, holding several records for the Syracuse women’s basketball team. The couple has four children, daughter, Alexis, twins Sariah and Donovan Jr., and Devin James.
In October, 2009, the couple announced a partnership with Virtua hospital where each of their four children were born. The partnership began with a six-figure donation from the McNabb's to help with the
construction of the new NICU at the Virtua Voorhees replacement
hospital, which opened in 2011. In addition, the family is
committed to helping raise $2.5 million for additional funding for the
project. The completed unit was named The McNabb Family Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit in honor of their dedication and commitment.
In 2006, Reebok launched an upscale, lightweight, casual clothing line that Donovan worked to design called SuperFive. He became the first NFL player with his own line of clothing. During the offseason, Donovan spent time at ESPN’s studios in Bristol, CT, working on several different shows as both an analyst and anchor. That experience should be valuable in helping him achieve his post-football goal of becoming a sports broadcaster.
Honor Roll
Number Five's All-Time Honors List
Number Five's All-Time Honors List
- NFC Pro Bowl squad - 2001-05 and 2010 (starter in 2005; did not play in 2004 due to injury)
- Voted by his teammates Eagles Offensive MVP - 2000-01, 2003-04
- NFL Man of the Year finalist - 2003, 2005
- Named NFL Player of the Year by CBS Radio - 2000
- Named NFL Player of the Year by the Terry (Bradshaw) Awards on Fox Sports - 2000
- Named NFC Offensive Player of the Year by Kansas City Touchdown Club - 2004
- Named NFC Offensive Player of the Year by CBS Radio - 2004
- Finished 2nd in the Associated Press MVP voting (24-11) to St. Louis RB Marshall Faulk - 2000
- Four-time NFC Offensive Player of the Month - September 2002; November 2003; September 2004; September 2005
- Three-time NFL Offensive Player of the Week - 1/19/02 at Chi. (NFC Divisional Playoff game) 1/11/04 vs. GB (NFC Divisional Playoff game) 1/16/05 vs. Min. (NFC Divisional Playoff game)
- Six-time NFC Offensive Player of the Week - 11/26/00 at Was.; 12/10/00 at Cle.; 9/22/02 vs. Dal.; 11/16/03 vs. NYG; 12/5/04 vs. GB; 10/3/10 at Phi.
- Earned All-Pro by CBSSportsline.com - 2003
- Howie Long Tough Guy Team - 2003
- Named to the All-Madden team – 2000