1. Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh was born on October 27,1956 and is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League.
19 Facts About Matt Cavanaugh
1. 2.
Matt Cavanaugh played as a quarterback, winning two Super Bowl titles.
3.
Matt Cavanaugh was born in Youngstown, Ohio, on October 27,1956.
4.
Matt Cavanaugh attended Chaney High School, and played quarterback on its 1973 and 1974 city championship teams, as team captain his senior year.
5.
Matt Cavanaugh went on to the University of Pittsburgh after graduating, and is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history.
6.
Matt Cavanaugh played under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Johnny Majors and head coach Jackie Sherrill.
7.
Matt Cavanaugh scored the first touchdown in that game, and was on Sports Illustrated's January 10,1977 cover being lifted in the air by Dorsett and another player after that touchdown.
8.
Matt Cavanaugh was selected as the Sugar Bowl's Most Valuable Player, even though Dorsett had rushed for 202 yards, because of Matt Cavanaugh's commanding first half performance.
9.
Matt Cavanaugh was first team All-American his senior year, and seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting.
10.
Matt Cavanaugh still threw for 1,844 yards with 15 touchdowns against six interceptions.
11.
Matt Cavanaugh's 387 yards in the Gator Bowl was a Pitt single game record, and his 3,378 total passing yards for his career was second in school history.
12.
Matt Cavanaugh was selected by the New England Patriots with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 1978 NFL draft, but spent much of his career as a backup.
13.
Matt Cavanaugh's professional playing career included stints with the Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants.
14.
Matt Cavanaugh was the backup quarterback in both the 1984 Super Bowl XIX and the 1990 Super Bowl XXV to Joe Montana and Jeff Hostetler, respectively.
15.
Matt Cavanaugh warmed up during the Super Bowl as Hostetler suffered a number of blows from the Buffalo Bills pass rush, but did not come into the game despite Hostetler playing the first half in "'kind of a blur'".
16.
Matt Cavanaugh retired as a professional player following the 1991 season, appearing in 112 games with 19 starts, completing 305 of 579 passes for 4,332 yards, 28 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a 71.7 passer rating.
17.
Matt Cavanaugh served as offensive coordinator under Wannstedt again, for his old college team the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, until 2008, when he accepted a position as an assistant coach and quarterbacks coach with the New York Jets, under Rex Ryan.
18.
On January 23,2017, Matt Cavanaugh was promoted to Washington's offensive coordinator, replacing Sean McVay, who became the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.
19.
On January 29,2019, Matt Cavanaugh was demoted to Washington's senior offensive assistant, where he still had a number of responsibilities.