Michael Vernon McCoy (September 10, 1948 – October 17, 2021) was an American businessman. As a minority owner and vice-president of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), he was credited with inventing the trade-value draft chart. He also worked in the oil and gas industry.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | September 10, 1948 Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| Died: | October 17, 2021 (aged 73) Dallas, Texas |
| Career information | |
| College: | Oklahoma |
| Position: | Executive |
| Career history | |
| As an executive: | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early years edit
McCoy was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on September 10, 1948.[1] He attended the University of Oklahoma and obtained a degree in petroleum engineering.[1][2] He then worked in the oil and gas industry, rose through the ranks to become a Vice President at Texas Oil and Gas Company in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and developed an expertise in drilling.[1][2]
In 1981, he and a business partner, future Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, co-founded Arkoma Production Company, which was active in gas-rich areas such as northwest Arkansas and was able to profit from more than 500 of some 2000 wells they had drilled.[2]
In 1986, McCoy and Jones sold the company to Arkla, a natural gas company, for $175 million.[2][3] They were accused of having unjustly enriched themselves in the sale,[4] but were eventually exonerated in court.[5]
Career in sports management edit
When Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in February 1989, McCoy became a minority owner with a 5% stake in the NFL franchise.[6][7] He was named Vice-President of the football club one year later.[8]
In the run up to the 1991 NFL Draft, Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson wanted to come up with a system to help them evaluate NFL draft trades quickly. McCoy put together a trade-value draft chart that assigned values to each draft pick and a numeric total for each deal. He did this by examining trades from the past decade and giving each one a point value.[9]
With the success of the Cowboys during the 1990s and the departure of key personnel such as Dave Wannstedt and Norv Turner,[10] the trade-value draft chart gained prominence in the NFL and every team now employs a version of it.[11][12] In spite of draft chart being the brainchild of McCoy, it is referred to as the "Jimmy Johnson Chart".[13] Five years after formulating it, McCoy left the Cowboys to return to the oil and gas industry.[1]
Personal life edit
McCoy was married to Joni for 30 years until his death. He had four children: Jeff, Kim, Madison, and Matthew.[1][12] On October 17, 2021, he died in Dallas, Texas, one month after his 73rd birthday.[1][12]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Michael McCoy Obituary". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Whitford, David (December 1, 1993). "America's Owner – How the owner of the Dallas Cowboys has turned around this financially crumbling team". Inc.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ^ Castro, Peter (October 23, 1995). "Lone Cowboy". People.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ^ "Cowboy's Owner Faces Gas Dispute". Oklahoman.com. October 20, 1993. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Cowboys' Owner Didn't Cheat Gas Royalty Owners". Tulsa World. January 7, 1994. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "FDIC Looks to Sell its Share of the Cowboys". Associated Press. September 3, 1989. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Sullivan, Jeff (February 25, 2019). "30 Years Ago, Jerry Jones Made His Biggest Deal". Dallas Cowboys. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ "Emmitt now only Cowboys' holdout". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ^ Townsend, Brad (October 12, 2019). "It's been 30 years since the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to the Vikings, fueling a dynasty". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ "Flashback: The origin story for the Cowboys' legendary NFL draft trade value chart". The Dallas Morning News. April 26, 2021. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Clarence E. Hill Jr. (April 27, 2007). "Origin of the Draft Value Chart". Star-Telegram.
- ^ a b c Watkins, Calvin (October 22, 2021). "Former Cowboys minority owner Mike McCoy dies at 73; Jerry Jones reacts". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ Cowlishaw, Tim (April 26, 2021). "Cowboys' best-case NFL draft haul hinges on Jerry Jones' take on an old Jimmy Johnson concept". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.