Colt McCoy shares that hard work, your teammates, your coaches—that’s going to get you a long way, but without Christ you can’t go the whole mile.

My faith has probably been the most important [influence on my] playing football. I know that without God, without Him blessing me, I would not be where I am today. The opportunity to play here [at the University of Texas] is definitely because of Him. I have worked hard, and had to earn the trust of my coaches and teammates, too. I’ve put a lot into it, but the number one reason I’m here is God has blessed me, He’s given me the opportunity and I’m thankful for it.

When I was 14 years old, that’s when I gave my life to Christ. At that point, it really all came home to me, it “clicked” for me. My parents were very helpful to me in my [Christian faith] walk. They took me to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night for as long as I can remember. I’ve grown up going to church. Now I strive to live for Christ each and every day.

My father was my high school coach and he was hard on me. He never let me get by with anything! I always had to work that little extra in order to be able to play. And my teammates and the assistant coaches had to see that. So it has been a tough road to get to where I am.

There are a lot of struggles [as a Christian], there are always decisions you have to make, always choices you have to make. I strive to make the right ones. I’m not perfect, and I’ve really had to trust in my faith, in my reliance on God to get me through.

In 2007, my sophomore year, our team was up and down. We had a lot of injuries, we were struggling offensively and defensively, and we ended up losing two games back to back—to Kansas State and Oklahoma. That hadn’t happened here at Texas for a long time, and I was playing quarterback! I was beat up, I was sore, I was [wondering], “Am I going to play, am I not going to play?”

That was a defining moment for me—in my leadership of the football team, in my walk with Christ, and in my life in general. It was because of God, because of my faith in Him, because of the Scripture I read and my prayers that really got me through that time. And we ended up finishing the season pretty solid on a strong run. At that point, I realized that Christ really is in control. Hard work, your teammates, your coaches—that’s going to get you a long way, but without Christ you can’t go the whole mile.