LeSean McCoy LeSean Kamel McCoy ( born July 12 , 1988 ) , nicknamed " Shady " , is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh , and was chosen by the Eagles in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft . McCoy attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg , PA from 2002 - 2006 . " McCoy enjoyed a heralded career at Harrisburg ' s Bishop McDevitt High School , where he went on to become one of the most prolific rushers in Pennsylvania history . " His best years were his sophomore and junior year of high school . In his senior year of high school , McCoy suffered a major ankle injury , which threatened his career . This was one of the reasons McCoy decided to attend Milford Academy in New York after high school for one year . In his first year at Pittsburgh in 2007 , McCoy rushed for over 1300 yards and recorded 14 touchdowns . In 2008 , McCoy was selected as a second - team All - American . His 21 rushing touchdowns were third in the nation , only one behind the two leaders . McCoy made his NFL debut on September 13 , 2009 against the Carolina Panthers . He rushed for 637 yards that year . In 2010 , McCoy took over as the starting running back for the Eagles , and broke the 1 , 000 yard rushing barrier . In 2011 , McCoy was named First team All - Pro by the Associated Press . In 2012 , McCoy suffered a concussion that limited him to only twelve games . In 2013 , McCoy led the NFL in rushing yards with 1 , 607 rushing yards as of week seventeen , shattering the team ' s individual rushing yards in a season record that stood for 34 years . Early years . McCoy was born in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania . His nickname is " Shady " and was given to him by his mother . His mother gave him this nickname because of his mood swings where he would one second be happy and laughing and the next second be upset and crying . He attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg , the same high school attended by Ricky Watters . As a sophomore , he once rushed for 406 yards in a game . As a junior he ran for 2 , 828 yards , scored 35 touchdowns , and earned Associated Press Class AAAA player of the year , Offensive MVP of the Mid - Penn Commonwealth Conference , 1st team Associated Press All - State . As a high school senior , he earned first team Class AAAA Associated Press All - State ; During his senior season , McCoy had committed to the University of Miami . However , academic issues and a broken ankle led McCoy to attend prep school at Milford Academy in New Berlin , New York for the 2006 – 07 school year . He had been invited to play in the Big 33 Football Classic and the U . S . Army All - American Bowl that year , but ultimately did not participate in those games as he was still recovering from his injury . Following a coaching change at Miami , McCoy committed to the University of Pittsburgh on February 16 , 2007 . At the 2004 State College NIKE Training Camp , McCoy recorded a 4 . 23 forty yard dash , the fastest forty time of the event . McCoy was " rated the nation ' s number 11 high school prospect " by Tom Lemming . A 2006 ESPN evaluation described him as " lightning in a bottle every time he touches the ball . " In 2012 , McCoy had his high school number ( 20 ) retired at Bishop McDevitt . The only other player from McDevitt to have their number retired is Ricky Watters . College career . Freshman year . McCoy entered Pittsburgh as a transfer from Milford Academy . He started the season as a backup to Larod Stephens - Howling who was the starting running back in 2006 and rushed for over 890 yards the previous season . In August 2007 , Dave Grdnic wrote for " Panthers Digest " , " After just one week , LeSean McCoy has been as amazing as advertised . He ' s been dynamic on the field and off , banging up the middle on runs as hard as he bolts around end and talking just as good a game to the media . As a freshman , McCoy was the point - man for the " Wildcat offense " which the Pittsburgh Panthers unveiled in a September 2007 game against the Michigan State Spartans . In the Wildcat offense , McCoy lined up as quarterback in a shotgun formation and took direct snaps from center , A Sporting News article credited him for having one of the " best starts by a freshman running back at Pittsburgh since Tony Dorsett " , while the Wildcat offense was criticized . " McCoy might need to be a combination of both Dorsett and Dan Marino for the Panthers to start producing some offense other than through his running . " On October 2 , 2007 , ESPN writer Pat Forde featured McCoy under the " instant impact " section of his column . Forde had this to say , " Pittsburgh . When starting running back LaRod Stephens - Howling got hurt , McCoy stepped in and Wally Pipped him . McCoy has 503 rushing yards and six touchdowns , averaging six yards a carry . " McCoy had a streak of four consecutive games , from October 10 to November 3 where he rushed for at least 120 yards . He rushed for a season high 172 yards against Michigan State on September 15 , just his third game at Pittsburgh . McCoy finished his freshman year 3rd in the Big East Conference and 25th in the NCAA Division I FBS ( formerly I - A ) in rushing yards with 1 , 328 . McCoy was named to the Freshman All - American team by Rivals . com and was also a first team All - Big East selection by Rivals . com . In his final game of his Freshman year he ran for 148 yards against rival West Virginia in the 100th Backyard Brawl to help the 28 - point underdog Panthers knock off the then # 2 Mountaineers . That win also knocked West Virginia from a probable spot in the BCS National Championship Game . Sophomore year . McCoy entered his sophomore year as one of the top running backs in college football . In an article written by Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post - Gazette in late July 2008 , McCoy ' s coach Dave Wannstedt had this to say about McCoy ' s his approach in the off - season , " He ' s been very mature , he ' s taken the right approach , " Wannstedt said . " I like to see a talented young guy who takes the initiative to want to be the best he can be and he clearly is doing his part . " In mid August 2008 , Pro Football Hall of Famer , Tony Dorsett told the Associated Press that " He ( McCoy ) reminded me of me . That looked a lot like No . 33 ( Dorsett ) . Pittsburgh started the 2008 season inside the top 25 for the first time in 5 years . The Panthers faced Bowling Green at home to start the season , but fell to the Falcons 27 - 17 . McCoy had one rushing touchdown and 71 rushing yards in a losing effort . This was McCoy ' s second lowest rushing total of the season . McCoy and the Panthers proceeded to win 7 out of their next 8 games . He had a streak of 5 games from September 27 to November 1 where he recorded over 140 rushing yards per game . During that 5 game streak he had 762 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns . McCoy ' s best game was still ahead of him . After suffering a loss on the road to Cincinnati , a game in which McCoy lead Pittsburgh in both rushing and receiving yards , Pittsburgh got a win at home against the Cincinnati Bearcats and McCoy rushed for 183 yards that day , setting a career high which was previously 172 , set during his freshman year . He also added 2 touchdowns that day , both coming in the fourth quarter . McCoy closed out the regular season with 95 rushing yards a touchdown in a winning effort 34 - 10 against the Connecticut Huskies . The Panthers were ranked # 18 in the AP Poll following the win against the Huskies . McCoy ' s final college football game of his career was the 2008 Sun Bowl played on New Years Eve in El Paso , Texas . He rushed for 85 yards , and the Panthers fell in a defensive battle , 3 - 0 . McCoy had said in November 2008 and in January of 2009 that he was coming back to Pittsburgh for his junior year . On January 7 , 2009 , McCoy notified Wannstedt of his decision to go pro . However , he delayed the decision until January 14 , when he officially announced he was leaving for the NFL . Talking to Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals , who also left after two years , helped sway McCoy . The teams performance in the Sun Bowl , did not have any influence though . On January 14 , 2009 , the University of Pittsburgh announced that McCoy declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft , forgoing his final two years of eligibility . The serious injury he sustained his senior year at Bishop McDevitt was a factor in his decision to enter the draft early . " As a result of a season - ending injury my senior year , I learned a humbling lesson , " McCoy said . " Nothing is promised to us and it can all be taken away in a moment . " Professional career . NFL draft . McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round ( 53rd Overall ) of the 2009 NFL Draft . He signed a four - year contract for $ 3 . 47 million including $ 1 . 72 million guaranteed with the team on June 29 , 2009 . Philadelphia Eagles ( 2009 - present ) . 2009 Season : rookie year . McCoy was pressed into service as a starter against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 27 , 2009 when the Eagles deactivated starter Brian Westbrook due to an ankle injury . He scored his first touchdown in the first quarter of the game on a five - yard rush . McCoy started against the New York Giants on November 1 , 2009 . He carried the ball eleven times for 82 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for ten yards . McCoy made his third start for a " NBC Sunday Night Football " game against the Dallas Cowboys . McCoy rushed 13 times for 54 yards and caught five passes for 61 yards in a 20 – 16 losing effort . Westbrook sustained a concussion against San Diego and McCoy was called on again to be the starter in a road game against the Chicago Bears on " NBC Sunday Night Football " . He and he rushed 20 times for 99 yards and a touchdown , as the Eagles won the game 24 – 20 . On December 20 , 2009 against the San Francisco 49ers , McCoy broke the all - time Eagles rookie rushing record with 606 yards on the year . The record was previously set by Correll Buckhalter with 586 yards in 2001 . Also in December , the New York Daily News wrote about the top ten rookies in 2009 . McCoy was listed fourth on the list and this was what writer Ralph Vacchiano had to say , " The fact that the Eagles are rolling without Brian Westbrook is , in part , a testament to how good this rookie is . " 2010 season : 1 , 000 rush yard barrier broken . During McCoy ' s rookie season he wore the number 29 . On March 18 , 2010 , McCoy changed to number 25 , which he had worn at the University of Pittsburgh . Number 25 was previously worn by Lorenzo Booker . Coach Reid had this to say in August , " . . . He wants it every carry . He ’ s been running very hard . He ’ s in great shape , and I think he is ready to roll . ” McCoy took over the starting running back duties in 2010 after previous starter Brian Westbrook was released in the off - season . McCoy carried the ball seven times for 35 yards in an early season loss against the Green Bay Packers . He followed this game up with a three - touchdown performance against the Detroit Lions the following week in a winning effort . Head coach Andy Reid had this to say about McCoy after his game against the Lions , " He added more strength in the off - season , really bought into the off - season program , worked his tail off and it ' s showing up now . He ' s going out and he ' s running more physical , he ' s more deliberate and accurate with his cuts , seeing the daylight and getting North and South , which you have to do in this league . . . " During a game against San Francisco 49ers on October 10 , McCoy broke a rib and continued to play through it and help lead his team to a victory , rushing for 92 yards and catching 5 passes for 47 yards . McCoy failed to break the 100 rushing yard barrier again until Sunday November 21 playing the New York Giants . Both the Eagles and Giants headed into this Sunday night contest at Lincoln Financial Field with a 6 - 3 win - loss record . McCoy ran for 111 yards and scored a touchdown , plus caught 5 passes for 29 yards in a win 27 - 17 . After only receiving 22 carries in the next 2 games combined , McCoy ran for 149 yards on 16 carries , for an average of 9 . 3 yards per carry ( YPC ) against the Dallas Cowboys . The Eagles finished the season 10 - 6 and won the NFC East Division . In the playoffs the Eagles faced the Green Packers at the Linc . They lost to the Green Bay Packers 21 - 16 after failing to score a touchdown in the first half . McCoy had 46 rushing yards and this was his second appearance in the NFL playoffs . ESPN Stats and Information did a special feature on ESPN where they handed out " Next Level Awards " to recognize outstanding play in the 2010 season . McCoy won an award in the " Locked and Loaded " category , which recognized the " best RB facing a loaded box " . This is what was said about McCoy , " LeSean McCoy , literally , ran away with this award thanks to some hard - nosed running - - an aspect of his game that often is overlooked " . . . . " Fourteen running backs had at least 30 attempts against a loaded box this season . McCoy finished in the top four in rushing yards ( 207 ) , touchdowns ( three ) and attempts per first down ( 2 . 8 ) , despite having the fewest carries of those 14 backs ( 36 ) . " 2011 season : 1st team All - Pro . The 2011 season started off with McCoy scoring 4 touchdowns and rushing for 345 yards in his first 3 games . In addition to that he also caught 9 passes and had 1 receiving touchdown , for a total of 4 . After only getting the ball 20 times on the ground in the next 2 games , and the Eagles dropping their fourth game in a row to the Buffalo Bills , starting the season off 1 - 4 , the Eagles faced two divisional opponents . On the road at FedEx Field , against the Washington Redskins , McCoy rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 20 - 13 win . Coming off a bye week , the Eagles faced the Dallas Cowboys on October 30 , McCoy scored two touchdowns and rushed for 184 yards ; the Eagles won 34 - 7 . McCoy had an up and down rest finish to his season . He rushed for over 100 yards twice in the next 8 games . He failed to reach the 50 yard mark three times . McCoy saw inconsistency in the run game , some games getting the ball 15 or fewer times . McCoy missed the Eagles final game with a sprained ankle . When McCoy rushed for over 100 yards , the Eagles were 5 - 1 . His 17 rushing touchdowns tied him for third all - time in rushing touchdowns in a single season by a running back aged 23 or younger . The only two running backs ahead of him are Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson , and Emmitt Smith . McCoy finished the 2011 season as the league ' s fourth leading rusher , after sitting out the last game with an ankle injury . During the December 18 , 2011 game against the New York Jets , McCoy broke the Eagles ' single season touchdown and rushing touchdown records previously set by Steve Van Buren in 1945 . As of December 2013 , McCoy holds the records with 17 rushing and 20 total touchdowns . He was also voted into the Pro Bowl for his season ' s performance . McCoy won the FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award , and was also voted Associated Press All - Pro First Team running back . McCoy is one of only three running backs 23 years or younger to be named to the Associated Press All - Pro team since 1995 . The other two are Edgerrin James ( 1999 ) and Adrian Peterson ( 2008 ) . McCoy finished the 2011 season with 1 , 309 rushing yards , including six games of over 100 rushing yards . In 15 games played , he recorded a rushing touchdown in 12 of them , and scored a touchdown in 13 out 15 . He finished first in the National Football League in rushing touchdowns , with 17 , and lead the entire league in total touchdowns with 20 . 2012 season . On May 17 , 2012 , it was announced that McCoy had signed a five - year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles . The contract is worth $ 45 million with $ 20 . 765 million guaranteed . On September 9 , 2012 , the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Cleveland , Ohio to face the Cleveland Browns . McCoy rushed for 110 yards on 20 carries for an average of 5 . 5 yards per carry in the opener . He outrushed the whole Browns team 110 - 99 and the Eagles won 17 - 16 . Coming back home to Philadelphia , McCoy scored his first touchdown of the young season , a one yard run in the first quarter . The Eagles went on to win 24 - 23 . In Week 4 against NFC East foe New York Giants , McCoy broke the 100 rushing yard barrier for the second time in four games with 123 yards on the ground . In the next five games , McCoy rushed for 321 yards for an average of 64 . 2 rushing yards per game . All five of those games were losses for the Eagles . On November 18 , 2012 , playing against the Washington Redskins , McCoy ran for 82 yards and had 20 receiving yards , but suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the game . He was injured with less than two minutes remaining in the game . McCoy did not return until December 23 against the Redskins . In his last two games he had 23 carries for 90 yards . He was used more in the passing offense though , catching 14 passes for a total of 138 receiving yards . He ended up missing four games on the year , playing in a total of 12 . 2013 season . McCoy took the field for Monday Night Football on September 9 , 2013 and rushed for 184 yards on 31 carries and scored a touchdown . At the time this was McCoy ' s second highest single game rushing total of his career . The Philadelphia Eagles took the win over divisional foe Washington Redskins . His performance was good enough to earn him FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors . McCoy was only handed the ball 11 times in Week two , resulting in 53 yards . But he contributed as a wide receiver and caught five passes for 114 yards . 114 yards currently stands as McCoy ' s top receiving yards in a game . The Eagles than faced former head coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 , on Thursday Night Football . McCoy rushed for 158 yards on 20 attempts , for 7 . 9 yards per carry . Though the Eagles lost this game and fell to 1 - 2 , McCoy surpassed 150 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three games of the season . Over the course of the next six games McCoy saw somewhat limited action with varied results . He received more than 20 caries once in a game and broke 100 yards rushing only once . The Eagles dropped back to back games to divisional foes but beat Oakland on November 3 , to bring their record to 4 - 5 . McCoy rushed for 155 yards against the Green Bay Packers . This was his third game surpassing 150 yards rushing . On December 8 , 2013 , Philadelphia had their first major snowfall of the year , with over 8 . 5 inches of snow falling . With snow covering the entire field , and with it falling the entire first half , offense was hard to come by . The halftime score was 8 - 0 in favor of the Detroit Lions . Several minutes into the second half the Lions scored their second touchdown of the game , and subsequently took the lead 14 - 0 . The second half was a breakout half for McCoy , who finished the game with 217 rushing yards on 29 carries . McCoy ' s 217 rushing broke a franchise record of 207 rushing yards that was previously held by Steve Van Buren . He also scored two touchdowns to help propel the Eagles to victory over the Lions 34 - 20 . McCoy also earned for the second time in 2013 , FedEx ground player of the week , in Week 14 . In Week 15 the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Minnesota . McCoy only carried the ball 8 times , as the Eagles elected to pass for much of the game . He did though have 68 receiving yards , which put him over the 100 yards from scrimmage mark . The Eagles fell to the Minnesota Vikings 48 - 30 . As of Week 16 , McCoy leads the NFL in rushing with 1 , 476 yards and is tied for first in rushing first downs . In Week 16 facing the Chicago Bears , McCoy rushed for 133 yards and scored two touchdowns . This moved him up to second on the Philadelphia Eagles single season rushing yards list . In Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys , he broke Wilbert Montgomery ' s Eagles regular season rushing record ( 1 , 512 in 1979 ) and Brian Westbrook ' s record of most yards from scrimmage ( 2104 in 2007 ) . McCoy rushed for 131 yards on 27 carries , finishing out the last drive of the game with 23 yards on 6 rushes . The Eagles won 24 - 22 and earned a playoff spot - the third seed in the NFC at 10 - 6 . McCoy was able to rush for an outstanding 1 , 607 yards and was also the all - purpose yards leader at 2 , 146 . Personal . McCoy ' s brother , LeRon McCoy , is a former wide receiver who played for the Arizona Cardinals . McCoy has one son , LeSean Jr . In August 2012 , McCoy became a partner and investor in premium sports drink BodyArmor SuperDrink . On November 28 , 2012 , McCoy was featured in an episode of titled " The Real McCoy " . The interview was done by ESPN reporter Lisa Salters . It details the story of McCoy ' s high school career and his ankle injury .