Bryant McFadden (born November 21, 1981) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...
and was selected by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in the second round of the
2005 NFL draft
The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...
. McFadden was also a member of the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
. He earned two
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and t ...
s during his time with the Steelers,
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2005 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Pittsburgh S ...
and
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
.
McFadden currently serves as a studio analyst for the all-digital sports network, 120 Sports. He also hosts Huddlecast, the football podcast of his alma mater, Florida State University, and co-hosts All Things Covered, a podcast with former NFL cornerback
Patrick Peterson
Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. ( Johnson; born July 11, 1990) is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he wo ...
.
Early life
Bryant McFadden attended
McArthur High School in
Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...
. He was ranked the top cornerback by most recruiting services. As a senior, he was a ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' All-USA selection, a ''
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
''
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
first-team selection, and named to the Super Southern 100 team by ''
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', after posting two interceptions and 75 tackles. As a junior, he posted one interception and 75 tackles.
College career
McFadden played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
where he finished his career with 107 tackles. He played cornerback at FSU. He majored in computer graphics, with a minor in studio art.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint)
Bryant was selected 62nd overall in the 2005 NFL draft, as a
nickel back. He recorded his first career interception against Jacksonville in Week 5.
Filling in at the starting position for the injured
Deshea Townsend, McFadden intercepted a
Byron Leftwich pass in the Steelers' end zone. The interception led to a game-tying
Jeff Reed 29-yard
field goal. The Steelers ended up losing, 23–17.
Bryant is also well known among Steelers fans for his two big plays in the
AFC Divisional Playoffs against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. After
Jerome Bettis's crucial fumble at the goal line, Colts' quarterback
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...
threw to the end zone for wide receiver
Reggie Wayne
Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...
. Bryant tipped the ball away at the last second. On the next play, Manning again went deep for Wayne, and McFadden tipped it away again.
Mike Vanderjagt then missed a game-tying field goal.
He finished his debut season with 18 tackles, one interception and a victory at
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2005 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Pittsburgh S ...
.
In the third game of the 2007 season against the San Francisco 49ers, he intercepted the ball and ran it back for a touchdown. He ended the campaign with 22 tackles and one interception.
Arizona Cardinals
An
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
in the 2009 offseason, McFadden signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
, the team the Steelers had just beaten in
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
. McFadden finished the season with 69 tackles.
Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)
McFadden, along with Arizona's sixth round draft pick, was traded back to the Steelers during the
2010 NFL draft
The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...
, in exchange for the Steelers' second fifth round draft pick.
At the end of the 2010 season, McFadden and the Steelers appeared in
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. He started and recorded four total tackles in the 31–25 loss.
He played two seasons with the Steelers, with 91 tackles in 29 games, and was released on February 8, 2012.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Broadcasting career
While still a player, for three seasons, McFadden hosted his own 30-minute weekly TV show on
WPMY, "The Hometowne Sports B-Mac Corner." He also hosted a weekly radio show on Pittsburgh's
WEAE-FM in 2011–12.
Following his playing career, McFadden joined the team at
120 Sports, an all-digital sports network based out of Chicago, where he now serves as a studio analyst.
In addition to his work on 120 Sports, McFadden has worked as a game analyst for the
2015 Southern Heritage Classic on
Fox Sports South, and been a regular guest on radio shows across the country, including national broadcasts on ESPN Radio and Sirius/XM.
In 2018, McFadden joined
CBS Sports HQ
CBS Sports HQ is a streaming internet television, video sports channel operated by the CBS Sports and Paramount Streaming divisions of Paramount Global, Paramount focused on airing Sports journalism, sports news, highlights and scores, similar t ...
appearing regularly during the NFL season as an analyst for their weekly football shows.
McFadden joins several of his Steelers' teammates who have moved into broadcasting after their playing careers, including
Jerome Bettis,
Ryan Clark,
Ike Taylor and
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American American football, football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for Arizona State Sun Devils football, Arizona State. He played as a wide receiver in the National Foo ...
.
References
External links
*
Arizona Cardinals bioPittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFadden, Bryant
1981 births
Living people
Players of American football from South Carolina
American football cornerbacks
Florida State Seminoles football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Arizona Cardinals players
21st-century American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen