The starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns from 2006 to 2009, Colt McCoy went 45-8 in his career. He is one of just a handful of two-time Heisman Trophy finalists, having led Texas to three bowl game victories and the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. McCoy may not have found a permanent home as an NFL starter, but the former third-round pick carved out a 14-year pro career.
For much of his life, football was everything. The son and grandson of former coaches, McCoy believed he’d follow in those footsteps. But after his playing days ended, he stepped into the NBC broadcast booth as a color commentator, calling college football games. He also became an original face of Progressive Insurance’s humorous “The Backup” commercial campaign. In 2025, McCoy took on a new challenge, making the leap to commercial real estate to open and lead a Fort Worth office for HPI. “In a way, I’m still playing QB,” he says. “It just looks a little different.”
What has surprised you most about post-football life?
“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever worked this hard in my entire life, and I’m coming from a place where I had all these boxes to check every week. On Mondays, I came into the building and learned the first- and second-down base game plan. By the time I got to Wednesday, we started third-down game planning. By the time I left the building on Thursdays, I knew the red zone plan. By Friday, I had to know the whole game plan. And on Sunday, I had to execute it all. When I tore my elbow up and couldn’t throw, I had to retire. But I didn’t do this transition to real estate overnight. It took a lot of guts and courage to be in this space. I’m 39, and most people graduate from college and enter this space. I understand the difficulty—I know it’s going to take time to get my footing.”
What has been the biggest challenge?
“It’s hard to earn a dollar. My advice to players would be to play as long as you can. It’s
fun, and you can make a lot of money.”
Now that you’re settling in, how are things going?
“In just six months, we’re almost up to 3 million square feet of Class A leasing on the industrial side and nearly 1 million square feet on the office side. Partnering with the Bass family on the West Side Village deal was a huge win for us.”
Who are you modeling your business game after?
“I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with [former Cowboys quarterback] Roger Staubach. We talked a lot about how he transitioned from his playing days. We relate on so many levels. He did something that I’m trying to do—in my own way. I remember a story about him going to a Hall of Fame induction ceremony for one of his teammates. He was already in the Hall of Fame and had won a Super Bowl. As he’s on the elevator with other Hall of Famers, someone walked up to him and said, ‘Aren’t you that real estate guy?’ To this day, he said that was the best compliment he ever received, being recognized as a guy who transitioned and built a business that changed so many lives. I’m built for that.”