Quan Cosby
Encyclopedia
Quantwan Cosby better known as Quan Cosby (born in Waco, Texas
on December 23, 1982) is an American football
wide receiver
for the Denver Broncos
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football
for the Texas Longhorns. He also played four years of professional baseball for the Anaheim Angels
.
, where he was also selected to the second team all USA Today Team
and named Offensive Player of the Year. He was also selected All State once at defensive back
and kick returner
. In baseball, he was mainly known for his speed, stealing 81 of 82 bases during his junior and senior years. He was effective with the bat as well, posting a .479 batting average
his senior year with three home run
s and 33 RBI. He won a total of three state titles in high school: one his junior year in football and two his senior year in track in the 100m and 200m dashes, with times of 10.46 and 21.31 respectively.
in the sixth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft
and left his commitment to the University of Texas to do so. He wound up playing for four years in the outfield for the Angels organization. He started his career in the Arizona League where he played 41 games, hitting .243 with eight RBI and eight stolen bases for the Angels. His second year he played for the Provo Angels of the Pioneer League where he recorded a .302 average with nine doubles, 29 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in a total of 76 games. He continued his career playing for the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels. His first year with them he hit .249 with four doubles, 21 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 104 games. The next year he attained a .249 batting average, again, with eight doubles, 12 triples, five home runs, and 24 stolen bases in 119 games. At that point he had a career average of .260 in 340 total games. Though his average had not improved greatly, his power numbers had. After playing four years in the Angels minor league system, Cosby decided to attend the University of Texas where he would go on to play football.
s. He did however play in all 13 games and started three. He played on special teams as well, returning six punts for 92 yards. He also chimed in two catches for 16 yards in the 2006 Rose Bowl
in which the Longhorns won the BCS National Championship.
he caught seven passes for 59 yards in the Longhorns' victory over the University of Iowa
.
, he had just one catch for 55 yards. He did, however, return one punt for 21 yards and four kickoffs for 73 yards in the Texas victory over Arizona State University
.
. He had a career high in receiving yards with 154 against UTEP in the second game of the season. In Texas's upset over then number one ranked University of Oklahoma
, Cosby caught nine passes for 122 yards, but was kept out of the endzone. During his college career, Cosby had a total of 212 receptions, 2,598 receiving yards, and a total of 19 receiving touchdowns. In the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, Cosby capped off an outstanding senior season as he scored the winning touchdown on a pass from Colt McCoy with 18 seconds left in the game.
on September 20, 2011, after spending two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals
.
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
on December 23, 1982) is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the Texas Longhorns. He also played four years of professional baseball for the Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
.
Early years
Cosby was a stellar athlete for Mart High School, excelling in football, baseball, and track. In football he was a two time 2A All State selection at quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, where he was also selected to the second team all USA Today Team
USA Today All-USA high school football team
Each year, USA Today, an American newspaper, awards outstanding high-school American football players with a place on its All-USA High School Football Team. The newspaper names athletes whom it believes to be the best football players from high schools around the United States...
and named Offensive Player of the Year. He was also selected All State once at defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...
. In baseball, he was mainly known for his speed, stealing 81 of 82 bases during his junior and senior years. He was effective with the bat as well, posting a .479 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
his senior year with three home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 33 RBI. He won a total of three state titles in high school: one his junior year in football and two his senior year in track in the 100m and 200m dashes, with times of 10.46 and 21.31 respectively.
Baseball career
Cosby was drafted by the Anaheim AngelsLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
in the sixth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft
2001 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be...
and left his commitment to the University of Texas to do so. He wound up playing for four years in the outfield for the Angels organization. He started his career in the Arizona League where he played 41 games, hitting .243 with eight RBI and eight stolen bases for the Angels. His second year he played for the Provo Angels of the Pioneer League where he recorded a .302 average with nine doubles, 29 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in a total of 76 games. He continued his career playing for the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels. His first year with them he hit .249 with four doubles, 21 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 104 games. The next year he attained a .249 batting average, again, with eight doubles, 12 triples, five home runs, and 24 stolen bases in 119 games. At that point he had a career average of .260 in 340 total games. Though his average had not improved greatly, his power numbers had. After playing four years in the Angels minor league system, Cosby decided to attend the University of Texas where he would go on to play football.
College career
Cosby attended The University of Texas at Austin and received a bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) in 2009.2005
During his freshman campaign, Cosby caught just 15 passes for 270 yards with two touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He did however play in all 13 games and started three. He played on special teams as well, returning six punts for 92 yards. He also chimed in two catches for 16 yards in the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
in which the Longhorns won the BCS National Championship.
2006
His sophomore season was a successful one in which he caught 33 passes for 525 yards and two touchdowns. He again saw action in all 13 games, starting eight. While he was still in the midst of becoming a great receiver, he was making an impact on special teams, returning 13 kickoffs for 334 yards and 2 punts for 64 yards. In the 2006 Alamo Bowl2006 Alamo Bowl
The 2006 Alamo Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, part of the 2006–2007 bowl season of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 2006 Alamo Bowl was played in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on December 30....
he caught seven passes for 59 yards in the Longhorns' victory over the University of Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletics teams that represent the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 24 sports, 11 for men and 13 for women. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are members of the...
.
2007
During his junior year he again played in all 13 games, starting 11 of them. He caught 60 passes for 680 yards and 5 touchdowns, earning him AP Big 12 Honorable Mention. He excelled on special teams, posting 1,017 yards from 42 kickoffs and also returning 19 punts for 178 yards. His return stats earned him second team AP All Big 12. During the 2007 Holiday Bowl2007 Holiday Bowl
The 2007 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 27, 2007 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of 32 games in the 2007-2008 bowl season. It featured the Texas Longhorns against the Arizona State Sun...
, he had just one catch for 55 yards. He did, however, return one punt for 21 yards and four kickoffs for 73 yards in the Texas victory over Arizona State University
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
.
2008
As a senior Cosby established himself as one of the elite wide receivers in the nation and became a favorite target for quarterback Colt McCoyColt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
. He had a career high in receiving yards with 154 against UTEP in the second game of the season. In Texas's upset over then number one ranked University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
, Cosby caught nine passes for 122 yards, but was kept out of the endzone. During his college career, Cosby had a total of 212 receptions, 2,598 receiving yards, and a total of 19 receiving touchdowns. In the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, Cosby capped off an outstanding senior season as he scored the winning touchdown on a pass from Colt McCoy with 18 seconds left in the game.
Denver Broncos
Cosby was signed by the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 20, 2011, after spending two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
.
Awards and honors
- Two time All-State selection at quarterback
- All State selection at defensive back
- All State selection at kick returner
- USA Today Offensive player of the Year in 2000
- AP Second Team All Big 12 as a kick returner
- AP Honorable Mention Big 12 as a wide receiver