Tommy Maddox Thomas Alfred " Tommy " Maddox ( born September 2 , 1971 ) is a former football quarterback in the National Football League , the XFL , and the Arena Football League . Maddox was born in Shreveport , Louisiana and raised in Hurst , Texas , in the Dallas / Fort Worth area . At UCLA , Maddox played collegiately for two seasons and led UCLA to the John Hancock Bowl in 1991 . The Denver Broncos drafted Maddox in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft . Originally thought to be the successor to Broncos star quarterback John Elway , Maddox had an unimpressive record in his rookie year and saw limited playing time in his early NFL career . Before the 1994 season , the Broncos traded Maddox to the Los Angeles Rams , and Maddox would later join the New York Giants , Jacksonville Jaguars , and Atlanta Falcons . Maddox played under coach Dan Reeves with the Broncos , Giants , and Falcons . After being released by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997 , Maddox became an insurance agent before making a comeback in professional football with the New Jersey Red Dogs of the Arena Football League in 2000 . Maddox later became starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL , a league that folded after its only season in 2001 . With the Xtreme , Maddox led the team to the Million Dollar Game championship and became league MVP for the season . Later that year , Maddox signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers . Originally as backup to Kordell Stewart , Maddox became the Steelers ' starting quarterback in 2002 and led the Steelers to a 10 - 5 record and a postseason run . For his achievements in 2002 , the NFL named Maddox Comeback Player of the Year . After a 6 - 10 season in 2003 , Maddox again became a backup quarterback in 2004 , to Steelers first - round draft pick and future Pro Bowl er Ben Roethlisberger . Maddox won the Super Bowl XL title with the Steelers after the 2005 season , his final season as a football player . After retiring from football , Maddox became a youth baseball coach in his native Dallas / Fort Worth area . Early years . Born in Shreveport , Louisiana , Maddox graduated from L . D . Bell High School at Hurst , Texas in 1990 . At L . D . Bell , Maddox lettered in football , basketball , and baseball . As a senior , he was team captain , and was named the Southwest Texas Offensive Player of the Year , District Most Valuable Player , and the Area Most Valuable Player . College career . Maddox played two seasons ( 1990 - 1991 ) of college football as quarterback at UCLA . In 1990 , Maddox completed 182 of 327 ( 55 . 7 % ) of his passes for 2 , 682 yards , 17 touchdowns , and 14 interceptions . UCLA went 5 - 6 in 1990 . The following season , Maddox led UCLA to a 9 - 3 record and the John Hancock Bowl title with a 209 - for - 343 ( 60 . 9 % ) completion rate for 2 , 681 yards , 16 touchdowns , and 16 interceptions . In his two years with UCLA , Maddox became the first Pac - 10 player to pass 5 , 000 yards by sophomore year and won first - team All - American honors in 1991 . In a Friday night news conference on January 31 , 1992 , Maddox announced his intention to declare for the 1992 NFL Draft , reading from a prepared statement : " While I fully understand that another year or two at UCLA would be enjoyable and beneficial to my development , I feel that it is time for me to stand on my feet as a man and take on the opportunities offered by the NFL . " Maddox also announced his upcoming marriage and further explained : " Playing in the NFL has been a dream of mine since childhood , and it ' s a gut feeling that the time is now right . " Professional career . Denver Broncos . 1992 . Maddox was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round ( 25th overall ) of the 1992 NFL Draft . Covering the draft for television , Joe Theismann commented that Maddox should have stayed at UCLA for another year . His selection by the Broncos did not sit well with Elway , for two reasons . One , the Broncos had greater needs at several other positions , which Elway felt should have been addressed with their first pick instead of using it on Maddox . Second , Elway was in his prime and still seven years away from his retirement in 1999 , so selecting a successor so soon was extremely premature . However , Elway understood that Maddox had no control over the Broncos selection and was always professional in dealing with him , doing what he could to incorporate Maddox into the Broncos system . With the Broncos , Maddox wore jersey number 8 . Maddox was expected to succeed John Elway as starting quarterback . As a rookie , Maddox played under coach Dan Reeves . Maddox took his first snaps during the Week 6 ( October 6 ) game against the Washington Redskins , completing 2 of 8 passes for 10 yards and one interception in the 3 - 34 loss . In that game , Maddox became the youngest NFL quarterback to complete a pass since Elmer Angsman in 1946 . Maddox took over the week 11 ( November 15 ) game after starting quarterback John Elway left with a shoulder injury and led the Broncos to a 27 - 13 victory over the New York Giants . Maddox would start the following four games from weeks 12 to 15 , all losses . In his debut start in the week 12 0 - 24 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders , Maddox completed 18 for 26 ( 69 . 2 % ) of his passes for 207 yards and 2 interceptions ( both by Terry McDaniel ) , was sacked 4 times , and committed 3 fumbles ( including one lost ) . Maddox only learned that he would start three hours before kickoff . The " Los Angeles Times " account of the game reported : " Every time Denver moved the ball , Maddox would be pressured , sacked or simply dropped the ball . " The following week , in a 13 - 16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks , Maddox threw his first touchdown pass professionally , connecting with wide receiver Mark Jackson . 1993 . Under coach Wade Phillips , Maddox played all games in 1993 as the placekicker ' s holder . On Week 14 ( December 5 ) , in a 10 - 13 loss to the San Diego Chargers , Maddox completed one pass for 1 yard to linebacker Dave Wyman in a fake field goal attempt . Los Angeles Rams ( 1994 ) . On August 27 , 1994 , the Los Angeles Rams traded a fourth - round 1995 NFL Draft pick to the Broncos and acquired Maddox , as the salary cap forced the Broncos to trade backup quarterback Maddox . Initially , Maddox was the Rams ' third - string quarterback behind Chris Miller and Chris Chandler . With the Rams in 1994 , Maddox played in five games as placekick holder and played as quarterback in two of those games . In a 5 - 8 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Week 5 ( October 2 ) , Maddox was 7 - for - 15 in completed passes for 86 yards and 2 interceptions . In Week 12 ( November 20 ) , Maddox completed 3 out of 4 passes for one 55 - yard drive to set up a field goal . This drive included a career - long 39 - yard pass to Todd Kinchen . The Rams finished the 1994 season 4 - 12 and would move to St . Louis next season . New York Giants . 1995 . Three days after the St . Louis Rams released him , Maddox signed as a free agent with the New York Giants on August 30 , 1995 , playing again under coach Dan Reeves . Maddox served as Dave Brown ' s backup and played all 16 games as the placekick holder . In three games , Maddox replaced Brown as quarterback . Maddox replaced an injured Brown in the second half of the Week 7 ( October 15 ) game against the Philadelphia Eagles . Although Maddox completed his first pass , Maddox finished 6 - for - 23 for 49 yards , 3 interceptions , and 1 sack in the 14 - 17 loss . In the Week 12 ( November 19 ) game , again against the Eagles , Maddox took over for Brown , late in the fourth quarter . Maddox was sacked once for 4 yards and lost one fumble . 1996 . In the Giants ' 24 - 17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first exhibition game of 1996 , Maddox played during the second half . In that game , Maddox fumbled his first snap from the line of scrimmage , and the Jaguars recovered that fumble . Maddox would repeat this mistake twice but would lead the game - winning drive . Maddox started the second exhibition game of 1996 , but the Giants lost that game 27 - 37 to the expansion Baltimore Ravens . Maddox was 5 of 10 for 42 yards , 1 touchdown , 1 interception , and 2 fumbles . The Giants released Maddox on August 20 , 1996 . Atlanta Falcons and hiatus from football ( 1997 – 1999 ) . Maddox again joined coach Dan Reeves with the Atlanta Falcons but was released after training camp on August 18 , 1997 . In a preseason 35 - 31 loss to the Washington Redskins on August 16 , Maddox completed only 4 of 11 passes for 35 yards and threw an interception during a potential game - winning drive . On November 17 , 1997 , Maddox became an insurance agent with Allstate based in Dallas . In 1999 , NFL Films did a feature on Maddox . While in Dallas , Maddox continued practicing football regularly and was a volunteer coach with his alma mater L . D . Bell High School . New Jersey Red Dogs ( 2000 ) . After getting a phone call from the New Jersey Red Dogs of the Arena Football League in 1999 , Maddox sold his insurance office and joined the team . With the Red Dogs , Maddox completed 284 of 490 passes for 3 , 800 yards , 64 touchdowns and 15 interceptions . Los Angeles Xtreme ( 2001 ) . Maddox became the starting quarterback for the XFL team Los Angeles Xtreme during the first week of the season , despite the team using its first pick in the XFL Draft on quarterback Scott Milanovich . Maddox made an impact in his time in the XFL . He was the only quarterback of the league to start all 10 regular season games , led the league in passing yards , touchdowns , rushed for 2 touchdowns , and led the Xtreme to the Million Dollar Game , also known as the " Big Game At The End . " The Xtreme defeated the San Francisco Demons with a score of 38 - 6 . Maddox was named the XFL MVP in 2001 . The XFL folded after its inaugural 2001 season . Pittsburgh Steelers . 2001 . Maddox signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2001 as backup to Kordell Stewart . His first game action was in Week 7 ( October 29 ) in a 34 - 7 win over the Tennessee Titans , in which Maddox completed one 57 - yard pass to Troy Edwards . In the final game of the season on Week 17 ( January 6 , 2002 ) , Maddox completed 6 of 8 passes for 97 yards , a touchdown pass to Bobby Shaw , an interception , a sack , and an eight - yard rush . The 2001 Steelers finished 13 - 3 and first in the American Football Conference Central Division and lost the to eventual Super Bowl XXXVI champion New England Patriots . 2002 . In Week 2 ( September 15 ) , Maddox replaced Kordell Stewart at quarterback in a loss to the Oakland Raiders . Compared with Stewart ' s 15 - of - 25 for 143 yards and an interception , Maddox went 21 - for - 33 for 322 yards , two touchdowns , and one interception . With 2 : 02 left in regulation , Maddox ended a seven - play , 84 - yard drive with a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress to tie the game . Steelers coach Bill Cowher officially named Maddox the starter on October 2 , 2002 . Maddox started his first NFL game since 1992 in Week 5 ( October 6 ) , a 29 - 32 loss to the New Orleans Saints . On 32 - for - 48 passing , Maddox threw for 368 yards , 3 touchdowns , and 1 interception . He was sacked 4 times for 24 yards and lost a fumble . In Week 6 ( October 13 ) , Maddox won his first start with the Steelers in a 34 - 7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals . Maddox was 36 - for - 55 for 416 yards , 4 touchdowns , 2 interceptions , and 2 sacks . The Steelers played a " Monday Night Football " game on Week 7 with a 28 - 10 win over the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Peyton Manning . Maddox passed 25 - for - 33 for 305 yards , 3 touchdowns and led the Steelers to touchdowns for the team ' s first three drives . Since an 0 - 2 start under Kordell Stewart , the Steelers had gone 3 - 1 under Maddox . In Week 10 ( November 10 ) , the Steelers tied against the Atlanta Falcons , 34 - 34 , the first tied NFL game since 1997 . Maddox passed for 473 yards on 28 - for - 41 passing with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception . He was sacked once for 3 yards and rushed twice for 7 yards . In the final drive of overtime , Maddox completed a 60 - yard pass to Plaxico Burress that was ultimately one yard short of a touchdown . Maddox left the Week 11 ( November 17 ) game , a 23 - 31 loss to the Tennessee Titans , in an ambulance after being tripped by Lance Schulters . Kordell Stewart played the following game in Week 12 ( November 24 ) , a 29 - 21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals , while Maddox recovered from his injuries . Coach Bill Cowher chose to start Stewart the following game . Pittsburgh would win that Week 14 ( December 1 ) game over the Jacksonville Jaguars 25 - 23 . Maddox returned as started in Week 14 ( December 8 ) , but the Steelers lost to the expansion team Houston Texans 24 - 6 as Maddox went down with 6 sacks and lost a fumble and had 40 - for - 67 passes for 427 yards and ended the game with a 65 . 1 quarterback rating . Aaron Glenn , Texans cornerback , returned two Maddox interceptions for 70 and 65 yards . However , Maddox would lead the Steelers to victories in the final three games of 2002 . With 14 starts , Maddox led the Steelers into the playoffs with a 10 - 5 - 1 record in 2002 . For the seasons , Maddox completed 384 of 547 passes ( 65 . 1 % ) for 4 , 236 yards , 32 touchdowns , and 12 interceptions . He was sacked 16 times for 98 yards , rushed 19 times for 93 yards , and committed 5 fumbles ( with 2 lost fumbles ) . Maddox ' s passer rating for 2002 was 105 . 2 . Rallying the Steelers from a 7 - 24 deficit , Maddox delivered a comeback 36 - 33 win over the Browns at home in the before a 34 - 31 overtime loss at the Tennessee Titans in the . He won the ESPN ESPY for Best Comeback Athlete and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for his performance during the 2002 season . In 2008 , the NFL Network special " Top Ten One - Shot Wonders " ranked Maddox as # 5 . 2003 . Maddox led the Steelers to a Week 1 ( September 7 ) 34 - 15 victory in Heinz Field over rival Baltimore Ravens and rookie quarterback Kyle Boller . With a 134 . 1 passer rating , Maddox completed 21 for 29 passes for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns . Hines Ward caught two of the touchdowns and Jay Riemersma one . Although Maddox passed for 336 yards the following game in a Week 2 ( September 14 ) 41 - 20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs , Maddox regressed statistically , with 28 - for - 47 passing , one touchdown , 3 interceptions , 4 sacks , and a 62 . 0 rating . In Week 3 ( September 21 ) , the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home , 17 - 10 . On 21 - for - 34 passing , Maddox passed for 240 yards , one touchdown , and one interception . Late in the second quarter , Maddox successfully completed a trick play called " Bengal " , in which on field goal formation ( fourth - and - 3 at the 50 ) , Maddox took the snap on his knee and passed to Jerame Tuman , who advanced 23 yards to the Bengals ' 9 . This trick play would lead to a touchdown and Steelers 7 - 0 edge at halftime . With 5 : 54 left in the fourth quarter , the Steelers ran down the clock the point where Maddox took a knee to seal the victory . Afterwards , the Steelers would lose five in a row and fall to 2 - 6 for the first half of the season . The five - game losing streak included a 33 - 13 loss in Week 5 ( October 5 ) to rival Cleveland Browns , the team that Pittsburgh . On 11 - for - 24 passing for 136 yards and a 29 . 2 passer rating , Maddox threw two interceptions and lost one fumble ; Cleveland cornerback Daylon McCutcheon returned one interception 75 yards for a touchdown . At Mile High Stadium on Week 6 ( October 12 ) , Pittsburgh lost 17 - 14 to the Denver Broncos . This game was Maddox ' s first interception - free game since Week 1 , but Maddox was sacked 7 times for 56 yards . Alternating wins and losses in the second half of the season , the Steelers went 4 - 4 to finish 2003 with a 6 - 10 record . Maddox completed a 16 - yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward with nearly one minute left in the Week 13 ( November 30 ) game against the Cincinnati Bengals and put the Steelers up 20 - 17 , but the Bengals would score a touchdown in the final minute to win 24 - 20 and dash any chance that the Steelers would make the playoffs . Although Maddox broke the team record this season for most single - season completions , the Steelers offense ranked only 22nd league - wide . 2004 . In the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft , the Steelers drafted quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as the 11th overall pick . The pick of Roethlisberger indicated that Maddox might have earned the lowest salary ( $ 750 , 000 ) among all starting NFL quarterbacks . Consequently , Maddox negotiated salary raises with Steelers owner Dan Rooney before the draft . Maddox started the first two games of 2004 : a Week 1 ( September 12 ) victory over the Oakland Raiders , 24 - 21 , and a Week 2 ( September 19 ) loss to the Baltimore Ravens , 30 - 13 . Against Oakland , Maddox was 13 - for - 22 ( 59 . 1 % ) in passing for 142 yards . Maddox left the game against Baltimore with an elbow sprain in the third quarter , and Ben Roethlisberger took over as quarterback . Roethlisberger was named the new starting quarterback as Maddox would be sidelined until November . As starter , Roethlisberger would lead Pittsburgh to a franchise - record 13 - game winning streak but would go down with a rib injury during the Week 16 ( December 26 ) 20 - 7 win over Baltimore , the game that marked the 13th straight win . ( Baltimore defensive end Terrell Suggs caused both injuries to Maddox and Roethlisberger that forced them to leave their games against the Ravens . ) Maddox played during the fourth quarter . In the game , Maddox completed one pass to Verron Haynes for no gain , and the Steelers relied mostly on running plays by Haynes , Jerome Bettis , and Hines Ward . This scheme allowed Pittsburgh to keep the ball for the last 7 : 45 of the game . Maddox would start the final game of the season on January 2 , 2005 ( Week 17 ) in a 29 - 24 win over the Buffalo Bills that eliminated the Bills from playoff contention . Maddox completed 12 of 24 passes for 120 yards , a touchdown , and 2 interceptions . The Steelers became the first AFC team in NFL history to finish the regular season with a 15 - 1 record . In the playoffs , the Steelers would advance to the AFC championship and lose to eventual Super Bowl XXXIX champion New England Patriots . 2005 . In October 2005 , Maddox returned as starter after Roethlisberger suffered a knee injury . In Week 6 ( October 16 ) , the Steelers lost Maddox ' s first start of the season to the Jacksonville Jaguars 23 - 17 as Maddox completed only 11 of 28 passes for 154 yards , 1 touchdown , and 3 interceptions . In a press conference following the loss , coach Bill Cowher stated he regretted not substituting third - stringer Charlie Batch for Maddox and not having Jerome Bettis in for more running plays . Cowher would demote Maddox to third string behind Batch . Maddox ' s next game would be in Week 10 ( November 13 ) , a 34 - 21 victory over the Cleveland Browns , in which Maddox completed 4 of 7 passes for 22 yards . As Roethlisberger was undergoing knee surgery , Maddox would next start on Week 11 ( November 20 ) against the Baltimore Ravens . Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore 16 - 13 in overtime , and Maddox was 19 - for - 36 for 230 yards , a touchdown , an interception , and a lost fumble . Although Maddox led the game - tying touchdown drive with an 11 - yard touchdown pass to Willie Parker , Maddox threw an interception to Terrell Suggs during the Steelers ' final drive in regulation . This would be Maddox ' s final game of his career . The Steelers would win Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks in the postseason , but Maddox was among a handful of Steelers players , including linebacker James Harrison , who opted not to attend the ceremony at the White House honoring their Super Bowl championship . On March 3 , 2006 , the Steelers released Maddox for salary cap reasons . Tommy Maddox is one of three players ( along with Bobby Singh and Ron Carpenter ) to have won both Super Bowl and XFL championships . Free agency ( 2006 ) . In September 2006 , Maddox tried out for the Oakland Raiders . Maddox signed a contract with the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League but was waived in November 2006 . On December 8 , 2006 , Maddox worked out for the Dallas Cowboys . Post - football career . In 2007 , Maddox scored a 75 at a local qualifier for the 2007 U . S . Open of golf , 4 over par in which 3 under 68 was the cutoff for qualification . Maddox currently is the general manager and head coach of a Christian youth baseball team , Steelers Baseball , based in Trophy Club , Texas . Personal life . Maddox married his high school sweetheart Jennifer O ' Dell in 1992 . They have two children : Kacy ( born 1994 ) and Coby ( born 1999 ) . Maddox is a Christian . In 2003 , Maddox founded the Tommy Maddox Foundation for disadvantaged children .