Quentin John Coryatt is a former 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...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 in 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...

 who played for the Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 and the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 between 1992 and 1999.

Early years

Coryatt attended Baytown Lee High School

Robert E. Lee High School (Baytown, Texas)

Robert E. Lee High School is a secondary school in Baytown, Texas, that serves grades 9 through 12. Lee is one of three high schools in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, which serves all of Baytown and Highlands, Texas. The other two are Ross S. Sterling High School and...

 in Baytown, Texas

Baytown, Texas

Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...

. He accepted a football scholarship to attend Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

. In his junior season at Texas A&M, he gained notoriety in a nationally televised game in 1991 by knocking out Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...

 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...

 Kyle McPherson with a ferocious hit on a pass over the middle, breaking McPherson's jaw in three places. ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 named it the "Hit of the Year". In his junior season, the Aggie defense ranked first in the nation. He was selected second team All-American and all-SWC, and also was named the SWC Defensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

Coryatt elected to forgo his senior season and declare for the 1992 NFL Draft

1992 NFL Draft

The 1992 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft...

. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 in the 1st round with the second overall pick.

Coryatt played in 78 games over a six-year stretch for the Colts, and although he was a solid contributor, he never lived up to the stardom that was expected of him by virtue of his high draft status.

Following the 1995 season, Coryatt signed an offer sheet with the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. Indianapolis matched the offer sheet, ensuring he would remain a Colt.

After spending the 1998 season on injured reserve, Coryatt joined the Cowboys for the 1999 season, appearing in four games for Dallas. Coryatt retired after the 1999 season.