Jay McDonagh (born February 7, 1973) is an American former professional
football quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who played four seasons in the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
(AFL) with the
Buffalo Destroyers,
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators and
Columbus Destroyers. 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 ...
at
Western Michigan University. He was also a member of the Bologna Phoenix and Bologna Warriors of the
Italian Football League,
Green Bay Bombers,
Madison Mad Dogs,
Quad City Steamwheelers,
Colorado Crush.
Early life and college
McDonagh attended
Gordon Technical High School in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.
McDonagh played college football for the
Western Michigan Broncos. He was a two-time All-Conference selection at Western Michigan and three-time team MVP. He earned All-
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...
second team honors in 1995. McDonagh recorded career totals of 529 completions for 892 attempts, 6,148 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Statistics
''Source'':
Professional career
Bologna Phoenix
McDonagh played for the Bologna Phoenix in the
Italian Football League during the 1997 season. The Phoenix advanced to the Italian Super Bowl, while McDonagh was voted as league and team MVP.
Green Bay Bombers
McDonagh played for the
Green Bay Bombers of the
Professional Indoor Football League in 1998. He was named Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Star after throwing for 56 touchdowns.
Buffalo Destroyers
McDonagh was a backup quarterback for the
Buffalo Destroyers in 1999.
He was briefly traded the
Carolina Cobras in March 2000 but the transaction was voided.
Madison Mad Dogs
McDonagh played for the
Madison Mad Dogs of the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...
in 2000. He earned All-League honors while helping his team to an 11–6 record. In defeat of the
Billings Thunderbolts, he completed 18 of 37 passes for 172 yards and 5 touchdowns. In a victory against the
Minnesota Purple Rage, McDonagh completed 15 of 23 passes for 4 touchdowns and 199 yards.
Quad City Steamwheelers
McDonagh played for the
Quad City Steamwheelers of the
af2 in 2001. He played in 15 games, finishing with a
quarterback rating of 131.9. He completed 303 of 424 pass attempts for 73 touchdowns and seven interceptions during the season. McDonagh averaged 254.8 passing yards per game and helped the team to their second championship by winning
ArenaCup II.
He threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns in the ArenaCup victory over the
Richmond Speed.
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators
McDonagh signed with the
New Jersey Gladiators in November 2001.
He played for the Gladiators from 2002 to 2003, recording 107 touchdowns on 6,357 passing yards.
Colorado Crush
McDonagh signed with the
Colorado Crush in November 2003. He was released by the Crush on January 29, 2004.
Columbus Destroyers
McDonagh was signed by the
Columbus Destroyers' practice squad on April 2, 2004.
He was promoted to the active roster on April 6, 2004.
Bologna Warriors
McDonagh played for the Bologna Warriors in
Italian Football League during the 2005 season. The Warriors advanced to the Italian Super Bowl but they lost to Bergamo Lions 42–14.
AFL statistics
''Stats from ArenaFan'':
References
External links
Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonagh, Jay
Living people
1973 births
Players of American football from Chicago
American football quarterbacks
Western Michigan Broncos football players
Buffalo Destroyers players
Quad City Steamwheelers players
New Jersey Gladiators players
Las Vegas Gladiators players
Columbus Destroyers players
Colorado Crush players
American expatriate players of American football
American expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Italian Football League players
Indoor Football League (1999–2000) players