Tony McGee

Tony McGee is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines.

Early life McGee was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He attended South Vigo High School in Terre Haute. As a junior, he collected 39 receptions for 890 yards.

As a senior, he was a two-way player. On offense, he played tight end, making 27 catches for 670 yards and four touchdowns, while contributing to his team posting 4,133 yards. On defense, he played defensive end and had 60 tackles, 10 sacks and nine tackles for loss. He received Chicago Sun Times Indiana Lineman of the Year and SuperPrep All-American honors. He also lettered in basketball.

College career McGee accepted a football scholarship from the University of Michigan, playing as a tight end from 1989 to 1992. As a freshman, he only saw action on special teams.

As a sophomore, McGee saw action on special teams and registered one catch for nine yards as a reserve tight end. As a junior, he appeared in every game as a reserve tight end, catching three passes for 39 yards.

Although he only had three receptions going into his senior year, he started all 12 games at tight end for the undefeated 1992 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 9–0–3 record. During the 1992 season, he caught 38 passes (second on the team) for 467 yards and six receiving touchdowns (second on the team). He had the best game of his collegiate career in Michigan's victory over Washington in the 1993 Rose Bowl with six receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

Professional football

Cincinnati Bengals McGee was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (37th overall pick) of the 1993 NFL draft. As a rookie in 1993, McGee was the Bengals' starting tight end in 15 games and caught 44 passes for 525 yards. He missed the game against the Houston Oilers with a back contusion.

In 1995, McGee was reunited with his Michigan head coach Gary Moeller who joined the Bengals as an assistant coach. McGee had his best season with 55 catches (fourth in the league for tight ends) for 754 yards (third in the league for tight ends) and four touchdowns. He had a career-high 118 receiving yards against the Indianapolis Colts.

In 1997, he finished third on the team with 34 receptions for 414 yards and 6 touchdowns (third in the league for tight ends). In 1998, he began to focus more on blocking for running back Corey Dillon. In 2000, he suffered a left ankle fracture, causing him to miss the last 2 games and end his 117 consecutive starts streak.

In December 2001, the Bengals placed McGee on the injured reserve list with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. In 2002, after the drafting of tight end Matt Schobel, with McGee recovering from a knee injury and the team looking to save money under the salary cap, he was released on April 25. He was the Cowboys' starter at tight end for all 16 games during the 2002 NFL season, catching 23 passes (third on the team) for 294 yards (third on the team) and one touchdown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers On September 1, 2003, he was signed as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to replace an injured Rickey Dudley, but was cut just four days later after the signing of Daniel Wilcox.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint) The Dallas Cowboys re-signed him on October 8, 2003, after rookie tight end Witten sustained a broken jaw and backup James Whalen injured a hamstring. He appeared in only one contest with no receptions, after Witten missed only one game and McGee was subsequently released on October 19. He appeared in three games with no receptions and wasn't re-signed at the end of the season.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1993 CIN 15 15 44 525 11.9 37 0 1994 CIN 16 16 40 492 12.3 54 1 1995 CIN 16 16 55 754 13.7 41 4 1996 CIN 16 16 38 446 11.7 22 4 1997 CIN 16 16 34 414 12.2 37 6 1998 CIN 16 16 22 363 16.5 40 1 1999 CIN 16 16 26 344 13.2 35 2 2000 CIN 14 14 26 309 11.9 39 1 2001 CIN 11 9 14 148 10.6 25 1 2002 DAL 16 16 23 294 12.8 58 1 2003 DAL 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 NYG 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career 156 150 322 4,089 12.7 58 21

Personal life McGee is the CEO of the global logistics and freight forwarding company HNM Global Logistics.