Sport: Football
Born: August 13, 1987
Town: Montvale, New Jersey
Devin McCourty was born August 13, 1987 in Nyack NY. He and his twin brother, Jason, were exceptional basketball and football players—agile and strong with explosive speed. The twins attended St. Joseph Regional High School across the New Jersey border in Montvale, about 15 minutes from their home in Nyack. Jason was the star for the Green Knights, averaging more than 10 yards per carry as a running back. Devin, who suffered a leg injury, earned less attention as a defensive back, though he earned all-state recognition as a junior and senior. The McCourtys led the football team to group and state titles in each of their varsity seasons (including a #23 national ranking in 2004) and the hoops squad to a county title in 2005, with Devin playing point guard.
Jason was recruited by several schools, including Boston College. Devin was offered a scholarship by just one school, Rutgers. He and Devin went to South Brunswick together, and became starting cornerbacks for Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights. In 2007, Devin had two interceptions and blocked three kicks as a red-shirt sophomore. As a senior in 2009, he had 80 tackles and continued to star on special teams, returning a kickoff 98 yards for a TD. He was named first-team All-Big East. Devin played in and won bowl games as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Devin was the second defensive back taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots selected him with the 27th overall pick. Jason had entered the draft a year earlier and was selected by the Titans in the 6th round. Devin started for the Pats as a rookie and gained national attention when he picked off a pair of passes on Thanksgiving Day against the Lions. He finished the year with 7 interceptions and was a Pro Bowl pick and second-team AP All-Pro.
Devin was named defensive co-captain and moved from cornerback to safety in 2012. He had another fine season, with 5 interceptions. He continued to shine on special teams, notching his first TD on a kickoff return that year against the Jets. In 2014, Devin was a member of the New England team that won Super Bowl XLIX. After their dramatic victory over the Seahawks, the Pats locked up Devin on a long-term contract two days before he became eligible for free agency.
In 2016, Devin was a second-team All-Pro for the third time, and was a Pro Bowl pick for the second time. He intercepted a pass against the Texans in the playoffs and had three solo tackles against the Steelers in the AFC Championship, as the Pats reached the “big game” again. Devin added 5 tackles to his postseason total in a comeback win over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. He followed up his stellar 2016 campaign with a career-high 97 tackles in 2017. The Pats returned to the Super Bowl but lost to the Eagles, 41–33.
The 2018 season saw Devin and his brother reunited after New England signed Jason. Jason teamed with Stephone Gilmore at the corners. Devin made headlines that year with an 84-yard pick six against the Bills. He was clocked at over 22 mph on his way to the end zone. The Pats made it back to the Super Bowl yet again, making the McCourtys the first twins to play together in the NFL’s ultimate event. They helped limit the Rams to a lone field goal in a 13–3 win. A few months later, Devin and Jason returned to Rutgers to deliver the 2019 commencement address. Their joint podcast, Double Coverage, also gained a wide audience among football fans.
For some reason, enemy passers decided to pick on Devin early in 2019 and he made them pay. He intercepted a pass in each of the Patriots’ first four games—the first NFL player to do so in 16 years. He was an easy pick for AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Devin finished with 5 on the year, which ended with an uncharacteristic loss in the opening round of the playoffs.
As Devin entered his mid-30s, he showed no signs of slowing down. New England locked him up for 2020 and 2021 with a new contract and he started all of the team’s 33 games during that span. He added 5 more INTs to his football résumé, cracking the 30 mark, and had his second career pick-six in 2020 in a game against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.
The 2022 season would be Devin’s last. He played in all 17 games for the Patriots, recording 71 tackles and four interceptions, and batted down 17 passes. In December, he played his 200th game in a New England uniform. Only three other defensive backs in history—Ken Riley, Darrell Green and Ronde Barber—had played that many games with one team.