Tommy Maddox

Who is Tommy Maddox?

Thomas Alfred "Tommy" Maddox 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 Bowler Ben Roethlisberger. In this backup role, Maddox earned a Super Bowl ring when Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season. The 2005 season was also his final season as a professional football player. After retiring from football, Maddox became a youth baseball coach in his native Dallas/Fort Worth area.